


The Widow

by MindTrash



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Angry Sex, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Multiple Partners, Paparazzi, Suicide, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:08:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 81,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23890606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MindTrash/pseuds/MindTrash
Summary: Sasuke has died, and it takes a horrifying toll on Sakura. No one seems to understand her grief, with the exception of Gaara. Unexpected, but it makes their friendship deeper. But what is considered too far, and is it okay to move on after losing your spouse?
Relationships: Gaara/Haruno Sakura, Gaara/Matsuri (Naruto)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 80





	1. Chapter 1

She touched his cold damp skin, her heart pounding violently against her sternum. 

He looked far too ashen, especially since he was always full of a burning fire of either vengeance or repentance, but now he seemed soulless. His sharingan eyes empty as they reflected the world. 

It was so odd seeing the dead body of someone you love. When the soul leaves the fleshy cage the physical cocoon no longer looks anything like itself--

She could hear her daughter, Sarada, screaming beside her. The sound of her shrill childish voice now a drilling sound in her ears. 

Sakura loved her daughter, but right now... right now she couldn't handle anything. Life no longer had meaning, or purpose. Her body rose up to stand with no tears in her eyes, even though she had been staring at his body for nearly an hour. 

It wasn't fair. After waiting for him for so long only to have him die right as they got into the swing of things. Right after their marriage had become ideal, and their family whole. It just wasn't fair...

The pinkette turned away from the body, her vision staring far ahead of her rather than right in front. She wandered, feeling her way through staircases, and alleyways, her daughters cries heard in the distance. 

Did someone call her name? She didn't know... she didn't care. 

She couldn't function the way a normal human being did, everything was robotic in nature. 

Sakura wandered the streets for hours, and even after she realized that it had turned to night she still didn't go home. She merely continued to wander in a daze until morning. 

The pinkette made her way to the hospital, found a haphazard bed in the abandoned wing that was blocked off for remodeling, and passed out as soon as her body hit the tough mattress. 

\--- ... --- ... ---

Sakura couldn't speak during the funeral, she couldn't make eye contact with anyone who tried to talk with her. 

Nothing. She just wanted to be alone with her sadness. No well wishes, or sympathies would help her now. She could hear the cries of her only daughter who shared his beautiful features.

She still hadn't cried. Nothing could make it's way out. 

The pinkette had made her way home, and dragged her feet into the bathroom in slow movements. For the first time in days she looked at herself in the mirror, and at that moment she saw how pained she looked. It was then the tears started to fall, and her chest heaved until she vomited in the sink. 

"SASUKE!!!" Sakura screamed hoarsely, her body trembling from the lack of nourishment and sleep, along with losing her last bit of bodily fluid. 

The pain was too much, no one understood. How could they? They didn't grow up in her exact shoes, they didn't know how much she loved him. How much she sacrificed for him. 

Years... so many years of waiting...

She couldn't live without him now, she just couldn't. 

Her vision blurred, throwing her consciousness to the back while her body reached for the kunai on her hip pouch. For a moment when the blade was in her hands she hesitated, but then she heard a strong voice in her head. 

'You're so miserable. You always have been, and now your reason for living is gone. It's okay to give up--'

She brought the kunai to her wrist, anticipating the pain that would once again make her feel alive. The pain that would push her instinctual urge to live once the blade had hit an artery, and she would be able to feel something other than heartbreak, loss, and hopelessness. 

'It's okay to give up, go ahead. You can do it.'

The metal sunk into her skin as crimson liquid poured out. 

'Just die. Just die. Please... die...'

The kunai clattered to the floor. 

\--- ... --- ... ---

Gaara looked over at his best friend sleeping soundly on the couch. The Kazekage had decided to stay in Konoha for a while after their battle with Momoshiki in able to help ease the burden on Naruto. 

The blonde was in grief, unable to do his work properly so the redhead had stepped in. He had told him to go to sleep, that he would handle the documents concerning the recent deaths, and thankfully Naruto allowed him to take over for a while. 

Gaara got up from the desk with an entire manila folder filled with papers, documents, and death certificates. With a sigh he left the room walking through the halls to drop off the folder to Naruto's assistants. They took it without much questioning, and with a nod the redhead decided it was best if he went back to the inn. 

He heard loud footfalls rushing down the hall ahead of him--

"LORD HOKAGE--!!!" A small yet familiar voice screamed as if they were being murdered, and he instantly went on the defensive. 

The brunette appeared, eyes behind glasses now red with power and swollen with tears. Upon recognizing him she immediately charged towards him instead looking pale, and frightened. 

"LORD KAZEKAGE!!" Sarada's screaming was loud now that she was practically right in front of him, and he picked up his pace to close the distance. "P-please h-help--!!" 

Gaara had placed his hands on her quaking shoulders when the smell of blood hit him instantly. He looked down to see her hands and legs covered in a thick layer of red. 

"What happened--?"

"I n-n-need Lady Tsunade!! Please!! Mama... mama..." Her face went paler, and judging by the horrified look in her eyes he didn't even have to ask. 

"Where is she?" The redhead asked calmly, and the brunette started shaking uncontrollably. 

"H-h-home... b-bathroom... o-on the floor... th-there's so much blood--!!!"

"I'll go to her, you go find Tsunade. Naruto is in his office, he should know where she is." When the child wouldn't stop trembling he reached out and gently grabbed both sides of her face to get her to look at him. "Take a breath, I'm going to go help her. If I have to bring her to the hospital I will. She'll be alright."

He knew he shouldn't have made any promises to her, but in able to bring her back into a level head space he had to instill that hope. However, judging by the amount of blood on the girl it was safe to assume that if Sakura hadn't healed herself then she was already dead. 

He prayed to literally any diety listening that it wasn't as bad as he thought it was. 

\--- ... --- ... ---

Gaara took in the vision of her for a few seconds before going into action. The entire bathroom floor was covered in a puddle of crimson with her ashen body laying right in the center. The only brightness was that of her pink hair against the thick red liquid

"Damnit!!" He cursed, rushing to get to his hands and knees in the blood so that he could examine what he was pretty much positive to be her lifeless corpse. As he turned her over, however, he noticed her to be slightly breathing. 

"Sakura, are you conscious?" He tapped her cheek a few times, but she barely had a reaction, however she did open her eyes slightly to look up. 

"... who... are.. you...?" Her face didn't move, and her lips had already turned blue. He checked her body for cuts to find tight bandages around her wrists, obviously administered by her daughter. 

"I'm Gaara, your friend." The redhead wasn't offended by her lack of memory at the moment. He had been on the battlefield, and watched many shinobi die from of blood loss. The confusion only helped to alert him on how much of her blood was left to keep her body going. "You're injured, I'm taking you to the hospital." 

Being very careful with Sakura's body he scooped her into his arms, once standing he tried getting her wrists above her heart as best as he could. He would have to tell Sarada that she did well in bandaging her mother's wrists, as hardly anything dripped out now. However, those bandages were not going to last forever. 

Gaara was off with the woman in his arms, rushing out of the apartment and onto a platform of sand. The sand pushed them rapidly through the air, cutting across town to get to the hospital. The platform hadn't even landed before he was jumping off it to land like a cat on his feet. He bursted through the doors using his shoulders, and after he assessed the area quickly he began running towards the wing designated for injured shinobi. 

"Lord Kazekage, what are you doing--?" A brunette woman looked into his arms with horror, but her hands were instantly reaching for the woman draped in them. "Sakura--!"

"I think she slit her wrists. I don't know how long she's been bleeding out, but Sarada managed to bandage her before I got there." The redhead allowed her glowing hands to touch the pinkette, searching her body for any other injuries while slightly healing the ones she had administered to herself. "She lost a gallon at least--"

"She's going to need blood." The woman whom he remembered to be called Shizune began to wave him to follow her down the hall. Both shinobi now running to get her into a hospital bed. 

No words were spoken, merely gestures and eye contact was needed for him to place her down on a gurney bed. The brunette worked quickly, unwrapping one partially healed wrist in able to fully stitch the flesh back together with her healing jutsu. 

Gaara was used to these scenarios, having to deal with dying comrades had been a normal occurence in his life. He knew the drills, he could stay calm in the face of death and the ticking of a clock. He knew that Naruto probably would have been more compromised in this situation especially after watching Sasuke die, so the redhead was glad that he himself was the one to handle the situation. 

He was throwing out bloody bandages, lifting her limbs and bending her body so that Shizune could get to the dying organs to revitalize them. At one point her heart had stopped beating, and while the brunette was doing CPR the redhead was already grabbing a fluid bag to connect to an IV drip. The rapid beat from the cardiometer was grating on his careful composure, but he refused to let it get the best of him knowing that at the very least her heart was beating now. 

He already washed his hands, put on gloves, prepared the IV, and tapped at a vein in the top of her now healed wrist. The needle went in without a hitch, surprising him as he was never very good at administering needles. 

When the other nurses had entered the room he couldn't say, but suddenly they were there with tubes and blood bags that were quickly hooked up in conjunction with the saline bag he had already administered. Her arm was taken, the tube administered, and blood started flowing. 

Gaara watched her as the minutes passed, and color began returning to her face. One after one bags of blood were administered, and her heart rate began to come back to a normal pace. 

The redhead thanked whoever answered his silent prayers, and with an exhausted sigh he sat in a chair near the window. The latex gloves on his hands felt strange, reminding him to peel them off. With a heavy lean to the side he placed them in the nearby trashcan, then straightened before leaning back in the chair to take a relieved breath. It seemed he wasn't the only one to do so. 

"She's in the clear, now all she needs is some rest." Shizune washed her hands, then went to sit down next to him in the other chair while some of the other nurses kept track of Sakura's vitals. "When she wakes up... I'm going to be very angry with her." 

Cyan orbs drifted to the side to see tears welling up in the brunette's eyes. As she started to tremble he watched curiously as she broke out into painful sobs. 

"S-Sakura... you i-idiot..." Shizune cried without shame. 

He didn't know how to react, so he merely sat there in polite silence. 

\--- ... --- ... ---

"I can't believe it. Why would she do something like that?" Naruto's voice pierced through the fog, and her ears focused in on the conversation. 

"It's not uncommon, Naruto. With everything she has been through... can you truly blame her for it? Her life with Sasuke was always teetering, and right when her dreams began to truly come into fruition the one person she loves most dies. The one she had been waiting for years to be with, the majority of her life had always been intertwined with his. To lose him must have been a terrible blow, a type of pain that most people in her situation would jump to their deaths over." 

The familiar dusty voice had spelled out everything she felt. How did he know her so well--?

"You almost make it sound like what she did was okay--!"

"A person only commits suicide if they feel they have nothing left. In her mind she had lost everything she had worked so hard for, and I would never punish someone for feeling that way." The familiar voice kept his tone low and warm, but stern like a father. 

"What about the rest of us?! We lost Sasuke too!! Am I supposed to believe that it's okay for her to take her own life, that it's okay for both of my best friends to die?!" Naruto was shouting now, and it all hurt her badly. 

She wished she had died to at least save herself from the judgement--

"Answer me, Gaara!! What the fuck makes this okay!?!" 

'"I'm Gaara, your friend."'

'He saved me. Of all the people in the world...' Sakura almost wanted to laugh, but instead she felt tears slip down her cheeks. 

She felt so alone in the darkness. Her sorrow was misunderstood. Was it so wrong for her to want to join Sasuke on his death bed--? 

A warm finger brushed away her tears, and she trembled from the gentle contact. 

"Naruto, I'm asking you personally..." Gaara seemed to be so close to her now, and she wondered if he was the one brushing away her tears. "Don't be angry with her, especially when her heart is so fragile. You will only push her further into the grave." 

The swish of fabric was heard, and the warmth by her side disappeared with retreating footsteps. 

Sakura tried to call out to him, but her voice never came. 

\--- ... --- ... ---

It had been a few days since she left the hospital, and all she could do was lay down. 

Sakura laid on the floor, the bed, the couch, and sometimes draped herself in a large plush chair. She kept all the blinds shut, and all the lights off. When Sarada would come to talk to her the pinkette would barely grunt or whimper in response. 

She hadn't spoken a word to anyone since the incident, and despite Naruto and even Kakashi's attempts she refused to talk to them...

Kakashi was close to getting her to open up, telling her the story of how his father had taken his own life and how it impacted his childhood. However, when he had said something along the lines of 'you need to fight harder, you're strong' she felt herself plummet back into despair. 

No one understood. They just didn't get it. 

A knock came at her front door as she laid on her livingroom carpet to stare at the ceiling. She didn't answer, but she didn't keep the door locked either. If someone wanted to murder her now they were more than welcome to do so--

"Hello, Sakura." The dusty tone shot through her like a blade, forcing her eyes to look into the direction of his voice. She saw the redhead standing next to her, his arms crossed as he looked down on her pitiful form. "You're looking better today, I'm glad." 

She merely blinked at the man, but he seemed to smile from even that small gesture. 

"May I sit with you?" 

The silence in the room seemed loud, which didn't make sense to her, but she accepted anything at this point. At any rate, she was fine with him doing whatever the hell he wanted. His company was the only one she had actually looked forward to, as he seemed to be the only one closest to understanding her pain. 

"Hn." She made a small sound, and thankfully he took it as a 'yes'. 

Gaara sat down next to her on the floor, and stayed there in silence for a long time. Eventually he gave a soft sigh, and actually laid down next to her to mimick the action of staring at the ceiling. It was quirky, and strange that he would do such a thing especially with his status, but she accepted his company nonetheless. 

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad you are alive." The redhead murmured gently, and gave another soft sigh. "You have every right to feel the way you do now, and I don't blame you for doing what you did." 

Her eyes couldn't stop themselves from turning towards him, but he kept his own cyan orbs on the ceiling. 

"I just hope you can heal, that you can feel better someday, but for now it is okay to grieve. It is okay to cry, and to feel like you have lost everything. Because you have lost so much... you have lost the family and love you had worked so hard to get." 

A tear came down his cheek, and her eyes widened. 

"Sasuke... you made him happy, and I guarantee you made his last days alive the best he has ever had. To be loved is a wonderful thing, and you give so much love, Sakura. He was lucky to have you for a wife." 

Her hand started to reach out towards him while he continued to speak. This person who saw her pain was suddenly so bright in the dark room.

"I can't take away the heartache, but I won't tell you to bury it either. Instead I shall lay here on the floor with you, so that you are not alone." Gaara's head turned towards her then with a small smile. "I know a bit about loneliness, sometimes it is just best to sit in the company of others that can recognize that you're in pain. It is even more comforting knowing that it won't chase them away." 

Her hand finally reached his, and as the redhead looked down at her scarred creamy wrist he gave a saddened smile. His fingers closed around her own, and he proceeded to warm her hand within his palm. 

They stayed that way for hours, just quietly breathing while laying on the living room floor. She wished he would never leave, this person knew her more than she ever realized. He knew everything...

"Thank you..." She finally was able to speak, and the smile he carried was brilliant. 

"Anytime." He murmured. 


	2. Chapter 2

After Gaara had left to go back to Suna Sakura felt the weight of his absence. It took only a couple days for her to truly discover what an incredible friend he was, and now that he was gone she found herself back to moping about her apartment. 

She hadn't gone back to work, the hospital gave her a month off to recover from her injuries, and to resolve her grief and inner turmoil. However, this just left her with nothing to do, no distractions to ease her mind. 

Left alone... with her madness...

The pinkette looked at her clock, and then looked at the phone number he had written down for her should she need him. It was very late, practically early morning, but she couldn't sleep. She couldn't handle the emptiness in her bed, and in her heart. 

Sakura figured that she could go sleep next to her daughter if she was so lonely, but she felt that it would only disturb the girl's already restful sleep. Sarada only knew a sliver of her father, and while his loss was hard on her she seemed to be handling it better than her mother. 

The kunoichi almost laughed at that. How pitiful it was that she couldn't pull herself together, and yet her own daughter could handle just about anything life threw at her. 

"Just like her father, I suppose." The pinkette felt herself deflate, tipping over while sitting on her mattress just to lay like a ragdoll. 

Her pink hair draped across her face, and she stared a thousand miles out through the rosey curtain. She had no more tears left, her body refused to make them anymore, and it hurt like hell. Needing desperately to cry, but your body refuses to. Possibly the most psychotic, and trapped feeling she could think of. She felt like a machine. 

Sakura had a chordless phone in her hand, and half-conciously she dialed the number she had already memorized. She laid the phone on top of her head, listening to the dial tone ringing; begging for someone to answer on the other end. 

She needed to get out. She had to be released from this pain less her heart stop beating. Her flesh was already so cold to the touch with the depression--

"Hello?" A dusty tone answered, and she felt like the sound of his voice was beckoning her to cry. 

".... hi." Sakura's tone was soft, and numb. Her speech was breathy as she no longer had the will power to even emote properly. 

"Sakura?" Gaara asked gently, and she gave a 'hn' in response. "You're up quite late. It's one o'clock here--"

"... my clock says it's four in the morning..." The pinkette murmured, listening to him give a sad exhale. 

"Are you alone?" He asked, and once again she gave the same humming response. "Do you need help?"

She was silent for a moment, something inside her cracked. She didn't want to be a burden to him, and this call felt like it might have been a waste. 

"... I don't know..." Sakura's voice cracked that time, the tears were threatening to come out again, and yet her body tried desperately to hold them back. 

"I see. Would you like to talk about how you're feeling? Or would you prefer to be distracted for a while?" The redhead gave her options, and for once she finally felt like she was in control of something. 

"Distract me... please..." The pinkette answered, and heard a gentle hum of approval on the other end. 

"Alright, I want you to go look out of your bedroom window." 

The pinkette's eyes slid over to the window, just barely seeing the corner of the pane. With an exhausted breath she made her way over her bedding in a crawl, then took the phone with her as she slipped off the mattress and walked up to the window. 

"What do you see?" He asked gently, and her eyes peered up at a near full moon. 

It was a cooling bright color, and for some reason it felt as if it were energizing her somehow. 

"I see the moon." Sakura murmured again, but this time it wasn't so hard to hear her. 

"Mm. I can see it as well." The redhead sounded as if he might be smiling. "We're together now, both looking at the same moon." 

Her eyes opened wide at that, and for a moment she looked beside herself almost expecting to see him standing there next to her. A few tears slipped down her cheeks, but they weren't sorrowful like before. 

No, this time they were caused by the relief she felt. It's as if he had freed her from the loneliness, even if it were just for a few seconds. 

"It's..." She sniffled, and quickly wiped her eyes with a smile. "It's beautiful." 

"I'm glad it could bring you peace. There is something so tranquil yet energizing about the moon. I like these moonlit nights the most." Gaara gave a relaxed sigh. 

It felt as if he were here, right next to her, but she just couldn't see or touch him. 

"I like it when it rains..." Sakura said dreamily, listening to him react to her words. 

"Ah, you should come visit during our monsoon season. The rain is very warm, and really pours down." He gave a soft laugh that felt infectious. 

"I would love that. We can go dancing in it--"

"Dancing? In the rain? How quirky." The redhead gave a genuine laugh that time, inspiring a smile to cross her features. 

"No, really. If it's warm like you say then we won't get sick. We can dance around in it, jump in puddles... it would be great." The pinkette felt like a child from saying such things, but she wanted nothing more than to indulge in her childishness for once. 

It had been so long since she had indulged in anything so playful, and the thought had her wishing for nothing else. 

"And what do we do after our dance? Surely we can't go traipsing through any establishments--"

"We can go home, wrap ourselves in fluffy towels, and sit by a fire with warm tea or cocoa." Her smile was still there, and she closed her eyes to imagine it. 

"And then what? Say the power goes out, what then?" Gaara urged her to continue. 

"We tell scary ghost stories while the thunderstorms rage outside. When we hear a crack of lightning we both jump up, and run for the nearest blanket to hide under." Sakura answered matter-of-factly. 

She heard laughing on the other end. 

"And the blanket will protect us from the ghosts--?"

"Of course! Blankets are the safe zone, the ghosts aren't allowed under a blanket." The pinkette let out an honest laugh. 

She stopped suddenly, realizing that she had just laughed and smiled. Something she had forgotten how to do weeks ago. Her hand felt over her heart, and notoced it beating strongly. She touched her face and no longer felt so cold to the touch. 

"Sakura? Are you there?" The redhead asked gently, and she hummed. 

"Yes, I just... I haven't done that in so long... I had forgotten how..." Sakura answered honestly. 

"Forgotten how to 'what'?" Gaara queried. 

She was silent for a moment, and swallowed before saying it out loud. 

"I had forgotten how to smile... how to laugh... I couldn't remember what that felt like..." The pinkette breathed deeply, desperately memorizing the happiness she just felt. "Thank you, Gaara... truly. I never thought I would be able to do that again... and... the pain was unbearable. I felt so trapped."

"Any time you need company, whether you need someone to listen to you, or to just take your mind off of the troubles in your life I am just a phone call away." The redhead's tone was soft and soothing, she had never imagined that he could sound so gentle. "And if ever you can't reach me right away, I promise I will call you back as soon as I am able." 

Another tear slipped out, and she hurriedly wiped it away with a small smilie. 

"Thank you, Gaara." 

"Any time." He answered cheerfully. 

\--- ... --- ... ---

Several weeks had gone by, and occasionally she would call him up on the phone, usually late at night. They would talk for hours sometimes, and at others only for maybe fifteen minutes. However, every time she got off the phone with him she felt so much happier. He slowly became a world that she could disappear to if things got to be too much. 

She had told Ino of their conversations in confidence, and the blonde had strictly kept her word. Now the pinkette had something else to talk about other than how she was holding up. 

"--Then he told me he had a cactus with a pink flower on it, and said it reminded him of me." Sakura nearly giggled as she washed up the dishes from their lunch while Ino looked on with a smile. 

This was now a daily occurrence, the blonde would come over for lunch every day, and at the start of every week she would bring a fresh bouquet of flowers to brighten up the kitchen table. 

"It's interesting how Gaara turned out to be so nice, isn't it?" Ino mentioned before taking a sip of her relaxing milky tea, the pinkette seemed to be all smiles as she came back to her own spot at the table. 

"I'm glad... I don't know what I would do if he wasn't here for me..." Sakura's smile faded, and a hauntingly far away look replaced the expression. "No... I know I would be dead if he wasn't here... I'd be dead..." 

Her vision zoned out in the swirls of her own teacup, drifting away into a world of sepia day terrors. Sasuke's lifeless stare from that day haunted her relentlessly, and her wrists felt like they were itching every time his morbid face invaded her thoughts. The silence around her felt loud, as if something invisible was screaming at her--

"Well, Gaara exists, and he's your friend." Ino placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, soothing the pinkette's nerves with soft motions. "I'm sure he would be devastated if anything happened to you, as would I." 

The words didn't comfort her as much as she thought they would. If anything they made Sakura feel as if her life no longer belonged to her. Her death would affect people, but she rarely found happiness in living. Everything in her life had revolved around Sasuke. 

Loving Sasuke, getting Sasuke's attention, being the best shinobi she could be to keep up with Sasuke, chasing Sasuke, searching for Sasuke, waiting for Sasuke--

Taking the weight of his vengeance, grief, sorrow, his needs always before her own.

And for what? For this? A loveless marriage that didn't begin until at least ten years after consummating it. All of that time she had built herself to be the ideal mother for his child, an ideal wife the Uchiha clan could be proud of.

All that waiting, all that time and effort... washed away with his death leaving her empty and wondering if she actually did any of her accomplishments for herself or if she had only worked hard for his favor. 

Who the hell was she without him? These people who claimed they cared, did they actually care for her, or for the person she became because of him? 

'It doesn't matter... they don't understand what they are saying.' The pinkette smiled gently at her friend, but the expression was backed by emptiness. 'They don't understand how worthless I am, I only burden everyone around me--'

Just then her phone started to ring, and the sound jolted her out of her horrible thoughts. On autopilot, she scooted out of her chair to go find the cordless phone. She picked up the device, and held it to her ear. 

"Hello, this is Sakura Uchiha speaking." She spoke monotonously into the reciever, and heard a click of someone's mouth on the other end. 

"It's so strange hearing you say 'Uchiha' instead of 'Haruno'." A dusty laugh came through, and the sound instantly brought a true smile to her face. 

"Hi, Gaara. How are you?" Sakura looked over her shoulder to see Ino looking like an excitable cat. Her torso was practically halfway over the table, attempting to listen in on the conversation. 

"I am doing well. I had some free time so I figured I would call." There was definitely a smile to his voice, and it only spurred her to smile further. "Are you busy at the moment?"

"Not really, I just had lunch with Ino." The pinkette peered over once more to see the blonde giving her a cheeky grin. 

"Ah, you have company. I should try again later I suppose--"

"No, don't worry about it. She was just leaving." Sakura laughed, and gave her friend knowing look. 

However, it seemed the blonde had no intention of leaving, and instead waved her hand to continue. 

"-And now she's gone! I'm open to chat." The pinkette spoke warmly. 

"Hm, alright then. I actually have a question for you." Gaara paused for affirmation before continuing. "I was curious as to whether or not you have any sleep remedies for children? Shinki has been having troubles sleeping lately, and it's beginning to show." 

"Heh, like father like son." Sakura laughed, and listened as he chuckled along with her. "Well, have you given him melatonin?" 

"Mm. It unfortunately gives him some rather strange dreams." The redhead didn't seem to want to go into further detail, so she let it slide. 

"Alright, well my other internal recommendations would be valerian supplements, chamomile tea, and perhaps warm milk with vanilla extract--"

"Warm milk with vanilla? How does that work?" Gaara queried. 

"Well, vanilla extract is made by placing vanilla beans in alcohol. The extract removes the flavor, and infuses it into the alcohol. So essentially vanilla extract is really just vanilla alcohol." The pinkette answered truthfully, but heard a long silence on the other end. 

".... Are you saying I should get my child drunk--?"

"No!! One or two tablespoons is not going to cause any sort of damage or drunkenness. If anything it's just a very mild sedative. In fact, this is frequently recommended for children with hyperactive disorders in able to get them to sleep instead of staying up all night playing or fidgeting," Sakura leaned against the wall while looking at her fingernails.

"Valerian works in similar ways, calms the body and mind. If Shinki has anxiety or frequent nightmares I would definitely recommend valerian root supplements. It's also a mild physical sedative, so it will promote better sleep." 

She looked at Ino again, and found the woman to be studying her with a warm smile only now she was back to sitting, and sipping at her tea. 

"Hmm, I might have to try that one myself." Gaara laughed light heartedly, and the sound made the pinkette feel comforted. 

"You're still having trouble sleeping as well?" Sakura asked gently, and heard a hum of acknowledgement. 

"Unfortunately I don't think mine is curable. Avoiding sleep was something engrained in me at a young age, and so attempting to do something my mind frequently warns against is... a unending uphill battle." His laugh was strained then, almost pitiful. "I'll probably die at a young age due to exhaustion--"

"Gaara, you died when you were sixteen. As far as I'm concerned you're a cat with at least eight lives now." Sakura snickered at the dark topic, and thankfully he seemed to return the humor. 

"I guess we both have eight lives left, seeing as you died on the table at the hospital." The redhead shot back without mercy, but despite the sensitive topic she was no where near offended by it. 

"Hm, I've recieved blades straight through my chest, bled out to unbelievably degrees, and have suffered actual heart attacks. My lives are slipping by quick--"

"If we are counting near deaths rather than actual deaths then my number has been up for a while now." Gaara chuckled. 

"You're not allowed to die before me--" She went to argue, but was quickly cut off. 

"Excuse you, that's my line. You're a medic, you're not allowed to die unless there's no one else left to heal." The redhead stated proudly. 

Her mouth hung slightly at the gall he had to say such a thing, but the shock quickly washed away as a smirk replaced it. 

"You know, you can be such an asshole some times." Sakura's grin grew as she heard him sputter for a moment, and then even more so as Ino almost spat out her tea. 

"Bold of you to say to a Kazekage--"

"Oh don't you pull your title out on me, mister. I know it's just a cop-out when you can't come up with anything better to retort with." The pinkette smiled ear to ear as she heard him truly laugh on the other end. 

"Talking with you is so refreshing, I'm grateful to have someone to banter with every once in a while." Gaara's voice clearly had a smile to it, and it warmed every inch of her being. "Thank you, Sakura. For being unabashedly you." 

Her eyes widened at his words, and she felt a herself begin to feel whole for once. 

There was a true her; it was firey, and strong. A determined woman who strived to get what she wanted, and it didn't matter who or what it was. 

Finally, an answer to a dilemma that had been plaguing her since her late husband's death. She had found something that defined her, and was always there even before Sasuke's influence on her life. 

"No, Gaara." The pinkette murmured gently into the reciever. "Thank you for bringing out the 'real' me. I needed that today."

It went quiet for a moment, and even the blonde behind her was dead silent. She heard a slight clearing of the throat on the other end of the phone, signaling that she probably embarassed him. 

"I am glad I could assist you in that, and I will happily do it again if the need should arise." His voice was gentle, and kind. "I have to get back to work now, but feel free to call on me later if you like." 

"Will do, talk to you later." Sakura spoke just as kindly. 

"Mm. Goodbye." Gaara bid her farewell, and cut the line. 

She listened to the dial tone beeping away for a while before quietly hanging up the phone. It already felt as if she was so far away from him--

"Well, it seems like you guys are a really close." Ino chirped, breaking the pinkette's reverie. 

Sakura turned around with a light sigh, and went to sit back down at the table. She held her tea in her hands, and instead of staring at it forever she took a careful sip. 

"Yeah..." The pinkette pulled the cup away with a small smile. "He's a truly irreplaceable friend."


	3. Chapter 3

"Gaara?" 

Her voice was shaking through the telephone line, but he instantly knew who it was. In fact, sometimes he would get a strange gut feeling right before she would call him. 

"How are you doing, Sakura?" The redhead was warm in his greeting to her, and felt the same relief she did from just hearing the other's voice. 

"I'm...." She gave a long pause, and when it became too long he assumed the connection had been lost. 

"Sakura--?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." A forced laugh made it's way through, and his stomach started to tie into knots. 

"I will always worry, as is natural among friends." Gaara turned his office chair to face the windows looking out over Suna. His eyes roamed over the now glittering city, and he felt a great sense of accomplishment over helping it get to this point.

"You're always so sweet to me. Are you this nice towards everyone?" The pinkette was obviously trying to sidetrack him, and for her comfort he would allow it. 

"I am kind to those I love, and unkind towards those who threaten them--"

"Well, aren't you the loyalist puppy?" Sakura snickered on the other end, and he raised a naked brow at her boldness to tease a kage. 

"I suppose. However, I'm not keen on referring to my loved ones as 'master'." As the redhead chuckled his point the pinkette joined in with a genuine laugh of her own. 

"Oh my! Well, I suppose such a term would be reserved for specific loved ones. Probably of the female variety--"

"I prefer other 'endearing' terms." Gaara twisted the phone's cord around his finger, enjoying how beautiful her laughter sounded even through a telephone. 

"Oh I'd pay good money to know what you like to be called in such circumstances. I just pray it's not 'daddy'--"

"Well, I am a father. The term would be accurate--" 

"OH NO!" Sakura bursted out into hysterical laughter then, and his smile grew bigger by the second. 

He let her laugh for as long as she desired, occasionally chuckling with her here and there just because of how infectious it was. Eventually she died down, and the real questions could be asked. 

"So, did something happen tonight? You usually call me if something is causing you grief--"

"That's so insulting! Can't I just call you because I want to listen to you talk?" The pinkette huffed on the other side, and yet her words had him a bit stunned. 

"You want to hear me talk?" He questioned.

"Yes. Your voice is soothing." She answered.

Everything was said so matter-o-factly that he couldn't help but blink at his window view in disbelief. His hand reached up subconsciously to touch at his own throat, as if he could feel the vocal chords with his fingertips.

"Soothing... I've never had anyone tell me that before. Mostly I've recieved: 'Your voice is frightening'." He chuckled, and heard her giggle on the other side. "How is it that my voice, which has instilled fear in the minds of many shinobi, is in any way 'soothing'--?"

There was light pause, and a small hum of thought on her part.

"It's soft, and yet also very strong. It makes me feel safe, and comfortable." Sakura sighed for a moment before sinking back into silence. 

"Well, at least it doesn't produce stirrings of any sort--" 

"Like I would even tell you such a thing! Don't be a scoundrel!" The pinkette laughed again, coming back into a happier mindset.

Silence had grown between them once more, but it was not uncomfortable. If anything it was just pleasant hearing the other person breathe. 

He was happy she was alive, and even more elated that he had come to know her better. Over their little chats on the phone he had been filled in on many thoughts, and feelings. Things he could relate with, and things couldn't relate with, but empathized with her regardless. Their conversations made him feel good too, as if they healed his own broken soul in some way. He rarely ever talked so casually with others, or as seriously. 

There was a special connection between them, no doubt about it.

"I miss you, when are you coming back to Konoha?" 

Multiple things crossed his mind at the moment of hearing that she missed him. Some of them were worried that she was not in a good spot, and needed assistance. Others told him that she had grown attached to him, and that such behavior would be toxic for her since they did not live close to each other. 

And the last; that quiet part of him treasured the thought that she had grown fond of him, as he did cherish their friendship. He was more than glad that she could trust him as well. Gaara loved his friends more than they could realize, and would gladly lay his life down for any of them. 

"Gaara--?"

As soon as he realized that he'd gone off daydreaming he immediately cleared his throat to re-center himself. 

"Apologies, it is flattering to hear when someone claims they miss you. I didn't realize that my presence was so important to you--"

"What?! Of course it is! I call you at least once a week now, and this week I've called you twice." Sakura giggled, but there was a tone there that was melancholy. "So, when are you coming back? I'd like to see you soon..." 

He hated disappointing her. 

"I won't be back in Konoha for at least another three months. Ever since the chunin exams my papers have seemed to just pile up from how fast they are coming in." He chuckled halfheartedly, wishing he could go back to Konoha tomorrow. 

"Sounds like you need an assistant." The pinkette suggested playfully, but he nodded nonetheless. 

"Desperately. Also my chief of medical recently passed away, so the hospital is in shambles." The redhead groaned, loathing how he'd remembered that bit of stressful information. "If Konoha has any bright medical staff with a good amount of experience I would be more than happy to borrow some--"

"Send a letter to Naruto, he can get someone for you. I can make recommendations to him, but he's usually pretty good about picking out great staff." 

"Ah, but what if I would like you to come over to fix my hospital--?"

"Then I'll bring a whip, because your medical team needs a harder hand. They are so spoiled! They need to practice their basic training instead of relying solely on machines!" Sakura scoffed, and the sound of something smacking down on a surface could be heard. "I would have to kick so many asses, Gaara. Your hospital would be filled with doctors in the rest beds--"

Gaara bursted out into genuine laughter, and let his imagination run wild on how she would whip everyone into shape. 

She would do a terrific job, and it could possibly be a great distraction from her mourning. Not to mention they would be able to converse more often, and he could be physically present for her when she needed a shoulder to cry on.

Perhaps this was the answer he was looking for all along. 

"I'll request for you personally then--" He began, but heard her breath hitch on the other end. 

"You... truly want me to come to Suna? Really-really?" She sounded wary, but also excitable. It were as if she had been looking for an escape, which in all honesty he didn't blame her. 

"You're the best in the business, and you are my friend. I would truly treasure having you in Suna for a while." The redhead nodded to himself, his hand already writing up an official letter of request to send to Naruto. "Unless they need you in Konoha--"

"No!" The pinkette sounded desperate, and that told him everything he needed to know. "I'm pretty much useless here since we have Tsunade and Shizuru, I'll bring it up to Naruto tomorrow. I assume you'll be asking him too-?"

"I just finished writing a letter, it should reach him in a few days, but feel free to speak to him as you see fit." Gaara smiled to himself, feeling rather proud of his grand idea. It was perfect for both of them, a great partnership. 

"Gaara... you're the best. Seriously, I owe you so much... and you're just so nice--" Sobbing sounds began resonating through the ear piece of his phone, and his entire body stilled as he heard the heartbreaking sound. "Thank you... for being the greatest man I have ever met." 

The redhead stared out his window blankly, a warmth rushing up to his cheeks as he allowed the compliment to sink in. 

The greatest man she had ever met? Wouldn't that be Sasuke, or even Naruto?? How was he held so highly in her regards? 

"I..." Gaara was dumbfounded, scrambling for words to say back to her. "You're most welcome... Sakura." 

\--- ... --- ... --- 

"So that was our most recent conversation, thought I would warn you before hand." Sakura smiled genuinely as she organized Naruto's growing stack of papers. She didn't seem to notice the curious expression on his face.

"Wait a minute. You've been playing 'telephone' with Gaara for how long now--?"

"I called him up not too long after he left... for some advice. He gives great advice, so I just kept calling him." The pinkette laughed at herself over her neediness, but like Gaara had told her before: she was grieving, and it was okay to rely on others in such times. He was more than happy to cater to her needs as a friend--

"Are you sure you're just going out to do hospital work, or are you actually going out to spend time with Gaara?" The blonde's tone was pressing for answers, but his question had her instantly flustered. 

It wasn't like that. She loved Gaara, but as a really good friend. Their relationship was strictly platonic. 

"We're not seeing each other, Naruto." Sakura withered with irritation at first, but then felt her heart begin to sink. "I don't think I could find love after Sasuke either... it would be wrong--"

"Sasuke wouldn't want that for you, and you know it." Naruto interjected sternly, but when she looked at her best friend she saw nothing but pain. "He'd want you to find happiness again, and we both know you're happiest when you're dealing in romance." 

"I'm not twelve anymore, idiot. Romance is such a young thing nowadays, the type of love I look for now is commitment and unconditional presence." The pinkette found her fire once again, moving into the next pile of papers to sort and stack.

The room went silent for a moment, and the blonde turned towards the windows in his office chair with a sigh. 

"Sasuke wasn't 'unconditionally present'--"

"No, he wasn't, and you know how much that nearly destroyed our marriage." Sakura sighed, hearing the sound of his name always brought a stabbing sensation to her chest, but in the past few months she had managed to survive it. 

The pinkette just wanted to stop feeling pain, she just wanted to leave everything that reminded her of him behind. 

'Sarada...' She felt a stab of guilt, knowing just how horrible of a mother she was for leaving her child on her own to handle her grief. She couldn't even imagine how all of this was affecting the poor girl. 

"Well, Gaara's not going anywhere any time soon. He's kind of stuck in Suna." Naruto blurted out in a mumble while her jade eyes zeroed in on him incredulously. He turned his chair back around to face her, but rather than look her in the eyes he chose to gaze at his fingernails. "He's single, and has never been married--"

"Huh, I wonder why that is?" Sakura tried to ignore her prying best friend, but felt his energy begin to consume her--

"However, Gaara was in an arranged marriage once." 

Alright, so that bit had her attention on him in an instant. She blinked curiously as the blonde's feral grin grew wider. 

"You're dying to know, aren't you?" Naruto laughed while kicking back in his chair. He became even more amused as the pinkette sat down in a huff across from him just so that he could tell her the gossip. 

"Alright, spill it." Sakura ordered with her arms crossed, but was a bit unsettled as his expression turned sinister. 

"Temari was about to marry Shikamaru, and apparently that threatened the bloodline that Suna was trying to keep. Any child of hers could lay claim to the name of Kazekage if Gaara didn't have children. So their council got on him about it, claiming they had a girl ready for him to marry--"

"Let me guess, she was hideous-?"

"Nope, she was gorgeous!" Naruto clapped his hands together excitedly while his best friend withered. "What, you jealous--?"

"No I am not jealous! I have a strictly platonic relationship with the Kazekage, and I plan on keeping it that way." The pinkette lifted her nose at him, but he brushed off the gesture with an apathetic wave of his hand. 

"Whatever, anyways, she was really cute. Gaara hasn't ever really shown interest in anyone before, so she was definitely a stunner. He claimed she was nice too, and he was actually willing to take the leap!" 

The blonde waved his hands around as he talked, but stopped when he apparently came to the climax of the story.

"Well, turns out that it was just another plot against his life. Some of the council was trying to get Kankuro to take the role of Kazekage, but he was quick to turn it down. The girl Gaara was going to marry actually had a boyfriend, and they attempted to kill him--"

"That's awful!!!" Sakura slammed her hands on the desk in front of her, unfortunately toppling over a stack of papers that she quickly scooped up. 

"The rest is history. Gaara did what he had to do, and just kind of gave up on the idea of dating." Naruto shrugged, and once again leaned back in his chair, but her eyes were on him once she straightened out the papers. 

"What do you mean by 'he did what he had to do'--?"

"He did what he was originally created to do, and sadly it had to be done." The blonde showed her a paper crane he had made earlier that day when he was bored. He placed it in the center of his palm, then tighten the fingers around it until the small crane was thoroughly crushed in his grip. 

She understood it now, but sadly she could also understand why it had to be done. Aside from weeding out traitors she knew there had to be a bit of bitterness there. There were just some things you can't wash out no matter how much soap you have. 

"He... deserved better." The pinkette murmured more to herself than to Naruto, but he still hummed in agreement. 

"Yeah, what he deserves is a nice wife." The blonde sighed, picking up the photo of his family on his desk. "A family too. From what I've heard he's been too busy to really visit Temari anymore, and Kankuro has been doing his own thing too. Maybe having you there will breathe a little life back into him. He seems far too sarcastic these days--" 

"So you'll let me go?!" Sakura jumped up and out of her seat with an ear to ear grin, it seemed to be an expression that Naruto could not ignore. 

"Sure, just don't go making any waves with our greatest ally--"

"THANK YOU, NARUTO!" The pinkette squealed, lunging into a hug over the desk itself. With a peck on his whiskered cheek she was out the door, rushing off to begin her packing. 

Perhaps she should call Gaara, and tell him the great news. 

\--- ... --- ... ---

Sarada did not cry like Sakura thought she would, in fact the girl seemed to be happy over the fact that her mother was going away for a while. She would be living with her grandparents for the time being, which was probably in the girl's favor as they tended to spoil her. 

The pinkette sighed, wondering if perhaps her daughter now resented her, and was happy that she was going to be out of the picture.

"Mama, the train is here!" The brunette smiled up at her mother with a genuinely happy expression. The red train cars slowly chugged until they came to a screeching stop. 

Life seemed too surreal, her eyes went unfocused as the doors to the cars opened, and the travelers vacated. She stared at the wheels of the trains tracing the connections between them with a hazy gaze. 

She was leaving her home, and they seemed glad to be rid of her--

"Ah... it's..." Sarada had become dumbfounded next to her, but Sakura couldn't find the effort to look away from her current meaningless interest. "Lord Kazekage, why are you here?" 

The pinkette blinked, her head turning up in a flash to stare in front of her. When her jade eyes met with cyan she felt a sudden wave of emotion, and her feet began moving forward without thought. 

"I came to escort--guh!!" Gaara grunted as he was assaulted by a tight embrace. She was squealing at first, and as he returned the embrace she felt herself instantly calmed. 

Perhaps it was held for longer than what was necessary, as her daughter cleared her throat awkwardly enough for both of them to notice. 

"Oh!" Sakura pushed away from him with a start, then nervously tucked her pink hair behind her ear. "Sorry, I just wasn't expecting to see you so soon."

"I felt it would be appropriate if I came to personally escort you, seeing as you'll be taking up such an important role in our village for the next few months." The redhead gave a slight laugh, his smile was warm and welcoming. "I was not expecting such a reaction, but a hug is nice every now and then." 

The pinkette blushed out of embarassment, and quickly tried to distract herself with her daughter. 

"You've met my daughter, Sarada." Sakura placed an arm around her only child with a proud smile, and was happy when he nodded. 

"Hello again, Sarada. I hope you don't mind me borrowing your mother for a while?" Gaara reached out his hand for the girl to shake, and she did so with a smart grin. 

"I'm trusting you to take good care of her, she's hopeless on her own--" 

"Hey!! I'm standing right here you know!" The pinkette scoffed in disbelief, but the brunette simply laughed. 

"I love you, mama. Please take care of yourself, and try not to cause too much trouble for the Kazekage. Lord Kazekage, I wish you and my mother a safe trip." Without having time to respond, Sakura was subjected to a kiss on the cheek from her child. She went to snap at her for her sassy mouth, but then ended up melting at the thought that she was about to be so far away from her baby girl. 

"I love you too. Now go before we both start crying." The pinkette laughed, but watched with a heavy heart as her daughter literally slipped out of her fingers to trot out of the station. 

She stood there for a long time, staring at the doorway that Sarada had dissapeared through. 

"Is this all you are bringing?" His voice instantly soothed her agitated nerves, and she looked back to him with a small smile. 

"Yeah... this is it." Sakura sighed, part in sorrow, and part in relief. 

She wasn't expecting him to make arrangements her luggage, nor was she expecting any special treatment as she entered the train, but apparently she was about to be proven wrong. 

He waved her to follow him while a sand shinobi took her things, and after a short walk through a few cars she realized that he had his own private car near the head of the train. Apparently there was a special rooming car and dining car as well, and she was not used to such lavish accommodations. 

"I remember making this trip on foot while sleeping in the forests, and caves." The pinkette chimed as she followed his gesture to sit across from him in the ornate lounge car, and as he sat down she heard the engines begin to warm back up for their next trip. "It took three days of running through foliage, and heat. Now I'm sitting in a private car like a celebrity." 

"With the advances in public transportation we've managed to cut the trip from three days into a day and a half. That's literally half the time." Gaara chuckled, and his smile seemed even warmer than before. "Sometimes I also miss the trekking between our villages, however this is also nice. We don't have to always live on the edge of a knife anymore, and are finally free to live normal lives..." 

As he seemed to daydream on that fact, she suddenly remembered that he was not actually married, nor did he have any blood related children. She also remembered what Naruto had said about Gaara being in a faulty arranged marriage.

"Why aren't you married?" Sakura laughed slightly, but was quickly curious over the expression he gave her. 

Awkward, and bashful. It was an odd look for him, yet also quite adorable considering his normally stoic demeanor. 

"To be honest, I'm not really sure. Nothing ever seemed to fall into place for me to have that privilege." The redhead looked out his window, watching as the remaining passengers boarded the other train cars. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you're a good man. Not to mention you're handsome, reliable, strong... a leader. It makes absolutely no sense to me why there isn't a special woman in your life." The pinkette unconsciously played with her hair as his eyes finally came back to her. He seemed to study the motion, forcing her to realize she was doing it, and put a stop to her antsy fingers. 

"Unfortunately, being married to ones work can put a damper on many relationships." Gaara gave her a sad smile, and it told her everything else hidden below the surface. 

He wanted to have a family, he just couldn't find the right woman who could handle being on the arm of a busy Kazekage. It hit her harder than she thought it would. 

She knew the pain of being ignored, and abandoned. However, being a Kage's wife was a cakewalk in comparison to being a wanderer's wife. Never knowing when he would come home, whether he was dead or not. 

No letters. No calls. For years...

It was the only thing she resented Sasuke for. Her utter loneliness, and the pain of raising a child by one's self. 

"I'm sorry you can't find a woman strong enough to handle you." Sakura blurted out, and his eyes stared at her as if he saw her for the first time. 

The whistle blew, and the train started to lurch forward. 

"Go ahead and rest for now, the trip is still long despite it being half the time." He completely ignored her last statement, and since he wanted the topic dead she allowed it to disappear from her mind. 

She was just happy to be with him again.

\--- ... --- ... --- 

Usually Gaara would find himself staring out the window on such trips, but instead he found himself staring at his travel companion. 

"I'm sorry you can't find a woman strong enough to handle you."

Sakura's words echoed around in his head, stirring something inside him that he couldn't recognize. He wondered what she had meant by it. 

Was she truly sympathetic over himself not finding someone? Was she teasing him? Or was it something completely different? So many questions were beginning to make his head ache. 

'Why does it even matter? There is nothing more than friendship between us. It isn't even worth thinking about.' Gaara gave an outward sigh while tapping his pen on his crossword puzzle. Apparently the sound was enough to get her to look up from her reading. 

"Something the matter?" The pinkette queried, her eyes seeming to look more fresh and curious than before. It was like age had never touched her.

"Ah, just this word right here. I can't seem to figure it out." The redhead lied flawlessly as he had once been trained to do, gaining a soft smile from her in the process 

It would be of no use in asking her further on their previous topic. There was really nothing to be discussed, it was not as if he had fallen in love with her. He was merely curious of how much she actually liked him--

Under the distraction of his thoughts he had been unprepared for the sudden closeness of another person. Sakura had already vacated her seat across from him in favor of sitting right by his side. Her frame was pushing up against his shoulder as she peered at his crossword, even being so bold as to take one edge in her hand as he still held the other side. 

Yes, he had been embraced by her. Yes, he had carried her in his arms at one point. And yes, he had been healed by her, gone to war together, fought side by side, and he had even laid next to her on her livingroom floor whilst holding her hand gently in his own....

But after opening his eyes a bit further to the idea that they had a rather strange connection, he suddenly felt so awkward. 

"Commonly mistaken for dolphin... eight letters... and you have a the letter 'P' and 'O'. It can only be one thing--" 

"And what is that?" Gaara tried smiling, and kept reminding himself that it was normal for friends to brush shoulders and knees. There was nothing off about her behavior in the slightest. 

"Porpoise!" The pinkette leaned back with a wide grin, and while the fresh space between them was welcome he silently found himself growing more curious of the previous closeness. 

"Ah, I see. Thank you." The redhead attempted to look grateful, and for a moment she seemed to shine with pride, but then something strange happened. 

Everything seemed to become so loud, and so quiet at the same time. The sound of the train seemed blaring despite the fact that it never bothered him before, yet the silence between them was so strange that he almost wanted to start a conversation out of awkwardness. He decided to avoid her striking jade eyes, and instead wrote down the letters. 

Gaara could practically feel her watching him as his pen scratched delicately against the paper. 

"Your handwriting is lovely. I'm quite surprised." Sakura had managed to break the ice with a chipper compliment, and he was more than grateful for the sound of her voice. 

"I didn't realize I had good caligraphy." The redhead chuckled, and shook his head. "However, I'm atrocious with cursive--"

"If you'd like I can give you lessons, my cursive recieved top marks back in school." The pinkette was back again, getting handsy with his paper before pointing to another blank space. "That one, 'a satin stitch cotton' is called 'sateen'."

"You seem to be educated in all things." Gaara chuckled to himself before writing down the word, only to get her attention on the next. 

"That one is 'tandem', and I pride myself on my general knowledge of things. I like to be ahead of the curve." Sakura giggled softly before pointing her index finger on the paper. "A 'female spirit of nature' would be a 'nymph'." 

"I feel like I'm cheating with you answering all of these." The redhead laughed, and before she could go to the next set of letters he quickly calculated out the word. "This one is 'yield'--"

"Wrong." The pinkette smirked as he turned to give her a quizzical look. "To 'give way to longing' is to 'yearn'." 

Another moment of silence had come between them, and although he found it to be quite grating she seemed to be more than content with the conversation. 

"I rarely feel such a thing nowadays, so I suppose you would know better than I do." Gaara attempted a small smile, and jotted down the rest of the letters. 

"Ha! What a lie!" Sakura gave a hearty laugh before patting his shoulder condescendingly. "I've never met a man who doesn't 'yearn', especially in the physical sense--"

"Are you trying to paint me as a deviant?" The redhead laughed then, forgetting just how close she was to him. 

"With the way you joke about it, I'm going to assume the answer is 'yes'." The pinkette went to grab at his crossword, but he swiftly pulled it out of her reach with a growing smile. 

"I rarely entertain the idea, let alone indulge in it." Gaara raised a hairless brow, and narrowed his eyes teasingly, but she remained unaffected. 

"Really? Says the man who goes by many names behind closed doors--"

"I only go by one." He held up one finger, and she clamped her hand around it humorously. 

"--And that would be 'master', correct? Or maybe you like to go by 'milord', or even 'Lord Kazekage'--!" 

What should have been a laughing response suddenly turned into a shriek of shock. 

The brakes of the train screamed wildly as everything seemed to get thrown forward. The electricity flickered out while the two passengers lurched towards the front of the car. 

The redhead had fallen out of his seat, but had safely landed into the hold of his sand. Sakura didn't have sand to halt her falling forward, and instead slammed against him face first. Her head hit his shoulder, and while it was merely discomforting the ongoing pressure of physics had her being forced against him. In reaction to it he instinctively held on to keep her from slipping past, or possibly hurting herself further. 

When everything seemed to stop the sand lowered them to the floor. The train car was dark, as the sun had set a long time ago. He could hear her breathing frantically, and he tensed as her hands searched his frame for places to press off from. 

"Are you alright?" Right as the words escaped him the lights in the car flickered back on, revealing her shocked face hovering above him. 

He cursed himself for it, but his cheeks had never felt so warm in his entire life, and he could see by her horrified expression that it was showing. 

"Oh... oh! I'm so sorry--!!" The pinkette clamped her eyes shut in a cringe while beginning to shake her head, but there was no time for shame at the moment. 

"It's fine. Just answer the question, please." He pressed a bit more urgently, and it seemed to break through the awkwardness instantly. 

"...yes. Yes, I'm okay." Sakura finally nodded before clambering off of him in able to get to her feet. "What the hell happened?" 

"I'm not sure, but I'm going to assume it's not good. We should go check on the conductors." Gaara followed her lead in getting off the floor, and with a wave of his hand the sand that had came to their aid had swiftly gone back into his hip gourd. 

The pinkette was already brushing past him on the way to the head of the train which was only a few cars away. The cars in question was the private dining car, sleeping quarters, and the fuel car. As they made their way into the dining car he noticed that many plates of food had been shattered on the floor, nothing could have really stopped such an accident as they had braked so hard. 

"What a mess! Ooo, when I get up there they are going to get an ear full." Sakura started to stomp, and despite her hysterically animated motions he kept his humor to himself. 

Something was not right, and he could feel it. 

Avoiding the debris they made their way to the sleeping car only to find the doors to the small private beds to be haphazardly opened with the bedding spilt about inside them. The fuel car was no different. He only slightly glanced at the disarray before rushing past the pinkette to get to the door that led to the engine room. 

The redhead yanked open the two doors, feeling a rush of hot air they stepped into the engine room. His eyes barely had a chance to take in the site of two engineers on their knees with what seemed to be pistols aimed at their heads.

"Don't fuckin' move." A man dressed in all black with his face covered by a black bandana pointed a pistol at Gaara, and as Sakura appeared by his side she recieved the same treatment from another bandit. 

"On your knees, lady. Hands behind your head." From the corner of his coal rimmed eyes he could see the gun get pressed against her temple, and it caused him a bit of anxiety--

"Hey, Red!! Hands up or I'll shoot!" The first bandit snapped at him, gaining Gaara's attention in an instant. 

The redhead put his hands behind his head, and played a submissive hostage role for the time being. He had to be careful less the engineer's get caught in the crossfire...

Sakura seemed to understand this fact as well, and slowly got to her knees. 

"Heh, there's a good girl." The second bandit tapped her cheek with the gun, and she soured as a result. "Pretty little thing, arent you? I bet you'd look even prettier sucking my co---" 

"Shinji, shut your fucking mouth. This ain't a joy ride." The first bandit hissed, and the second seemed to follow his orders without question. 

There was a moment of silence between them all, but the air was charged with chaotic energy. He had to fix this without possibly hurting the engineers, or Sakura. 

"Why did you stop the train--?" Gaara began to say, but the leader seemed to be in a foul mood. 

"Why do you think, dumb ass?! We're robbing it!" The bandit took a step forward, and pressed the barrel of his gun to the redhead's skull. "If you got money to travel you got money to spare, right? My buddies are already inside the other cars snatching up what they can--"

Just then a few shrieks were heard outside the train, and with a flick of his cyan eyes he could see more masked men. They had satchels filled heavy, and several young women being pulled roughly along with them. 

'Disgusting.' He felt himself grow hot in anger, the peace that he and Naruto had worked so hard on was being threatened right that very second. 

"It looks to me like you're taking more than just trinkets and cash--"

"Well, we can't all be saints. I'm sure half of those girls will be sold off." The second bandit snickered to himself, and as the sound rattled around in his head Gaara saw something even more unsettling.

A line of children, being dragged out by their arms or by their hair--

"I'm definitely bringing you back with me, sweetheart." The perverse bandit continued, his hand reaching out to rub Sakura's pink locks between his fingers. "And you're going to swallow every last drop when I bust--" 

There was a sickening crack, like the sound of a bone splintering. The scream that followed was blood curdling, and Gaara had taken it as a cue to get moving.

He managed to tilt his head away just in time for the gun to go off, but his cheek ended up suffering a glance from the bullet. His sand hadn't been fast enough to catch it point blank, but his reflexes were good enough that he quickly grappled the bandit to the ground before shattering the man's legs with one of his more signature moves. 

The bandit screamed bloody, but as soon as he lost his breath he quickly passed out due to shock. The redhead looked over at his companion to find her sitting proudly on the other bandit's back. Looking at the damage he could see she had severely broken every limb, and had thoroughly beaten his face. 

'She's quick. I didn't even hear her do it.' Gaara was so impressed that he couldn't help the small smirk that formed on his lips, but it seemed to be enough acknowledgement for her. 

"Alright. Let's go clean up the rest of this mess, shall we?" Sakura grinned before standing up straight, her previous 'seat' groaning and crying in horrific pain. "If they touched any of those kids do you mind if I kill them?" 

"I would prefer them alive for questioning, but casualties happen." The redhead looked back on the shell shocked engineers with a smile. "And this conversation never happened, right?" 

The older conductor of the two smiled back in relief. 

"What conversation? I have no clue what you're talking about." The man brushed the dust off his knees, and turned back to the controls of the machine. "I'll get her warmed back up, and we can take off once everyone is ready." 

"Excellent." Gaara grinned ear to ear for exaggeration, but was quick to turn around with a scowl as he headed towards the door to the cabins. "I'll get the ones inside if you handle the ones outside. Go wild if you like, just try not to destroy the tracks." 

With a wave of his hand both of the skilled shinobi were off, but he didn't fail to notice the furious look on her face. 

She was a mother, and he a father. No good parent could just stand by, and watch innocents be harmed. Despite not wanting anyone to die, he had it drilled in his head that each bandit would not be able to escape him; especially if all of their legs were broken beyond repair. 

He would allow himself a little bit of dark pleasure from it, just this once.


	4. Chapter 4

The bandits that attempted to rob the train were nothing special. There were some cocky rogue ninja among them, but even they weren't close to being a challenge. 

Gaara had basically waltzed through every cabin, and with a wave of his wrist one after the other the perpetrators' limbs were shattered. Yes, he made it a point to break nearly every bandit's legs, and with each new scream he felt a bit elated by the sound. 

This was something that both bothered him, and made him feel like he was accomplishing something. It could be worse; in his youth the redhead had a nasty habit of making it rain blood and pink meat over everything. It was fascinating, satisfying, and had fueled him with some sort of strange high--

A feminine scream, and a struggle had alerted him to one of the locked cabins. He could hear someone crying on the other side, so with a wave of his fingers he managed to grind away the locking mechanism before letting himself in--

A masked man had turned his head quickly to address the redhead while a young brunette woman underneath him looked pale, and red at the same time. 

"H-help me--" She whimpered out, and the man shoved her head away to the floor before turning back to address the newest threat in the room. 

"You entered the wrong room, buddy." The bandit held up a pistol, and pointed it straight at Gaara's chest. 

The redhead looked at the gun, the man, the young woman, and then back to the gun with a raised brow. 

"That's funny. I'm pretty sure that you've pulled a heist on the wrong train." Gaara gave a scoff, and crossed his arms. 

The bandit seemed to be infuriated by the lack of cooperation, and impatiently pulled the trigger. The gun went off with a resounding boom despite the small space. The redhead looked down at where he had been shot, smirking at the bullet that was currently being held by his ultimate defense. 

"No fucking way..." The masked man let go of the young woman, who scrambled out to quickly hide behind Gaara's proud stance. "You can't be... the Kazekage?! THERE'S JUST NO WAY--!!"

"I assure you, I am. It's not a trick." The redhead waved his arm, wrapping the bandit up in a cocoon of sand. 

The man went ashen in the face, and for some reason he felt a bit of nostalgia in seeing the expression. 

"It's been a while since I've pulled this move... I haven't seen fear like that in a long time." Gaara gave a dark laugh, and watched cheerfully as the man started to tremble. "Ah yes, that expression too. It's that moment that you are certain you are going to die--"

"DON'T KILL ME!! I BEG YOU!! PLEASE--!!!"

"Hmm. No, I think killing you would be best." The redhead lowered his head slightly with a feral grin, watching as the man before him screamed bloody murder. 

He squeezed a little bit, just enough to cut off the airflow. The bandit tried gasping, but couldn't get a breath in. He turned a few shades, and right as he started to faint Gaara dropped him unceremoniously. The man was still alive, but he was unconscious. 

"I changed my mind. I'd rather you rot in a jail cell, and think about the mistakes you've made. Perhaps one day you can be rehabilitated, and choose a better life path." The redhead glanced at the bandit's legs, wondering if he should break them just for the sake of getting back at the guy, but then he had to remind himself that he was a village leader, and not a vigilante.

"Um..." The young woman behind him piped up, and he had to put on a kinder face before turning to address her. 

"Are you injured?" Gaara asked gently, and she shook her head with a relieved expression. 

"I'm fine now, thank you for your help." She gave a nervous laugh before shifting her balance on her feet. "I've never been rescued before, am I supposed to kiss you or something?" 

The redhead blinked at that, and then straightened awkwardly. 

"Ah ha ha, no. No, there's no need for--" Despite him nervously stating that she didn't have to, the young woman leaned in to swiftly kiss him on the cheek. 

"Thanks, and..." She pushed a piece of paper into his hand before backing away from him with a smile. "Call me sometime." 

She trotted off to one of the already secured train cars, while he just stood there gaping a bit like a fish out of water. He looked at the paper in his hand, and laughed awkwardly at it. 

"That's never happened before." Gaara blushed a little bit before cracking a small smile, and turned to hit up the next car. 

Once again he heard commotion, and as he opened the double doors he saw a familiar head of pink hair hogtieing some masked goons. 

"I see you've gone and finished the job for me?" The redhead snickered as he made his way into the public lounge car, the pinkette grinned as she finished her business. 

"Yup! Everyone in back is all accounted for. The morons outside are being held by some of your fellow sand shinobi, but I helped by knocking the crap out of them first." Sakura straightened, and struck her fist against her palm in a display of power. "Oh yeah, that was a nice little workout! I think I'll sleep pretty good tonight." 

Gaara chuckled at her enthusiasm, and found it to be very refreshing in comparison to their usual conversations. 

"Alright then. How many sand shinobi do we have on board?" He straightened out his clothing a bit, finding that the girl from before had actually been tugging on his coat enough to crumple it in the back. 

"Ten. Four jounin including the two you brought with you, three genin, and three chunin." The pinkette gave a stretch, and walked over to him proudly. "We called up the nearest station. Border patrol should be here momentarily with another train to take the criminals back in. They'll be handled there since we just passed it." 

"Excellent, I assume the ten sand shinobi are detaining the bandits--?" 

"They don't really have to. I knocked them all out." Sakura grinned ear to ear, and they began walking back towards the front of the train through Gaara's trail of bodies.

Her eyes looked around at some of the men, a few concious here and there, but badly wounded and groaning. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her looking around the chaos, but never once grimaced or winced. 

"You really went all out on these guys, huh?" The pinkette murmured as they made their way into the next car, where a similar scene laid before them. 

"Not really, had I gone all out there wouldn't be a trace of them left." The redhead almost had to contain himself from laughing at that one, but a smirk still managed to escape. 

"How long has it been since you've had to do that?" Sakura spoke a bit more softly, and as they got into their private car she heard him give a soft exhale. 

"Three years, actually." Gaara murmured, and stopped in his tracks as he thought back on it. 

The man was younger than him, but was a radical rogue shinobi with psychotic ideals. He had started gathering followers, trying to throw their peaceful system into utter chaos claiming that the old days of death and decay were better. 

The redhead remembered the fight, at the start he had only wanted to talk, but that man...

He killed a civilian to bait the redhead, a young teenage girl who had never even studied the ninja arts. She was innocent, just starting her life, and he was too late to get her out of that man's arms before he sliced her open like freshly hunted game. 

That man had succeeded, he got what he wanted, and Gaara had unfortunately gone too far down the rabbit hole to be empathetic. The redhead had crushed that man slowly, and left his vital parts for last. He remembered the blood gushing from the bastard's eyes, nose, and mouth. The screams of agony, the begging... 

"Gaara?" The pinkette ever so gently touched his shoulder, and instead of jolting him the touch instantly soothed his nerves. 

"The last one... I left little parts of him behind on purpose." Gaara blurted out, and then shook his head at the fact that he had so stupidly admitted such a thing. "Forgive me, Sakura. I shouldn't disclose such things to you--" 

"He must have been a right bastard then." Sakura said it matter-of-factly, and his eyes widened with astonishment. "You're one of the most merciful people I know, so for someone to piss you off that badly they must have deserved it. You don't just hand out fatal sand coffins willy nilly anymore."

"This wasn't just fatal..." The redhead spoke just above a whisper, and her curious expression urged him to continue despite not wanting to tell her. "I tortured him to death." 

The pinkette didn't seem shocked, in fact her eyes only seemed to hold understanding within their depths. He knew he was wrong for doing it, for letting his emotions get the better of him...

But....

"You're human, Gaara." Sakura gave a small sad smile, and although he didn't ask for one she still stepped forward to embrace him. "Sometimes we just lose control, that's okay... I won't judge you for it." 

Gaara took a deep breath, but allowed himself to relax into her caring hold. His arms wrapping around her waist, and she felt like a perfect fit in his arms. 

"Contrary to shinobi rules, it isn't healthy to completely devoid yourself of emotions. We're not machines, and you're allowed to be upset at things." She rested her chin on his shoulder, and sighed. "We can't be perfect either, and no one should try to be. Just do the best you can." 

He remained silent for a moment, but a certain question was on his tongue. 

Did she really know?

"Sakura?" 

"Hm?" She hummed and latched on a bit tighter. 

"Have you ever... enjoyed killing someone?" 

That had her tensing a bit in his arms, and it was a question he had instantly regretted. 

"I'm... not sure... my main focus most of the time is just keeping everyone on my side alive." He felt her nod to herself, and when she went to pull away he let her go without resistance. "I've been present for torture sessions, however. They would have me heal the prisoner so they could keep inflicting the wounds over and over... so that the pain was consistent." 

The redhead went wide eyed at the admission, and realized he had opened a terrible can of worms. He went to touch her shoulder, and as it connected she jumped slightly. 

"I'm sorry you had to do that..." Gaara murmured, and watched as her eyes went sad. 

"Because of you and Naruto I don't have to do it anymore..." Sakura's brows stitched together bitter sweetly, and her hand came up to hold over the top of his own. "So... thank you." 

The peace they had provided, he didn't realize how much it affected everyone, but once again he was happy that he and Naruto could pave those trails for the future. 

"Mm." He smiled then, and it was returned twofold. 

\--- ... --- ... --- 

"Morning!" Sakura chirped as she slipped through the dining car door, and with a pep to her step she approached her old friend sitting at the table. 

"You sound chipper. Did you rest well?" Gaara smiled, flipping through the pages of what seemed to be a gardening book while he quietly chewed on some toast. 

"Best sleep I've had in ages, taking out those goons last night gave me the best workout." A sly smile creeped up on her pretty face while she settled in. It seemed that last nights events had worked up her appetite too, as when the wait staff came by she was quick to order up a fair amount of food. 

There were a few other sand shinobi dining in the same room, and she had met all of them during last night's events. Turns out her and Gaara weren't the only ones wanting to kick some bandit ass.

"I'm glad that last night didn't tax you at all, unfortunately the passengers are still quite shaken. Although, we have been making rounds to make sure everyone feels safe, and have also provided medical care for those who had been injured." The redhead gave a soft sigh before looking up from his book. "I also want you to know that I appreciate you taking out the group outside. Thirty men is a great deal for most shinobi, yet you handled each one flawlessly--"

"Well, I have to applaud you on yours. It can't be coincidence that everyone you got ahold of had at least one shattered leg..." The pinkette gave him a knowing look, and was pleased when he chuckled. 

"I have no clue what you are talking about. You make it seem as if I did it on purpose--"

"You did do it on purpose, and you're as smug as can be about it so don't even bother trying to lie to me." Sakura laughed, but kept her voice low as to not draw attention to the conversation. "Admit it, you enjoyed every second of obliterating those rat bastards." 

She recieved no answer, but as Gaara lifted up his coffee cup she didn't fail to notice the devilish grin behind the rim as he took a generous sip. 

"Maybe we should just quit everything we're doing now, and go rogue." The pinkette matched his smirk as he raised a naked brow at her. "We can go out, and beat up every bad guy that we can find. Put them away for good--"

"How very heroic, although I feel that my village wouldn't appreciate their kage abandoning his post." The redhead laughed as he lowered his ornate cup, and delicately placed it on the saucer. She didn't know why, but she felt this lavish lifestyle didn't suit him.

"So, what you're saying is that you don't want to run away with me?" 

The second it left her lips, Sakura regretted it. Cyan eyes looked up from his meal, blinking at her in disbelief. She had meant for it to be funny. Flirty, yes, but mostly as a joke. However, he seemed to be taking it a lot more seriously than she had meant for him to. 

"Well..." Gaara gave an awkward laugh, and distracted himself with his breakfast of eggs and toast. "I didn't realize this was a romantic affair--"

"And I didn't realize kicking ass gets you hot and bothered. I guess I'll have to watch out for you if we ever spar." The pinkette seized the moment to tease him, and thankfully he found a real laugh out of that one. 

"Something about the blood curdling screams, it's music to my ears--" Before he could say anything further on the matter she found herself bursting out into a hearty laugh. 

Sakura knew he always had a dark sense of humor, and while she would rarely participate in such jesting she couldn't find it in her not to laugh at the macabre topic. Especially coming from him, the now 'prince of peace'. 

"I knew that dark side of you never left, Gaara. Sorry to say, but I kind of enjoy that part of you. Keeps things interesting." Once again the pinkette had put her foot in her mouth, as the conversation had gone oddly quiet for longer than what was necessary. 

"I suppose no matter how much you try to bury it... those feelings can come back time to time." The redhead took another distracting sip of his coffee, and then quickly retreated his gaze onto his book. 

She remembered last night's conversation, and felt it was important to stress the point she had made then. 

"You shouldn't... bury how you feel." Sakura blurted, and watched carefully as his jaw clenched. "Even the 'bad' emotions are still emotions. To try to erase them completely is to deny that your human--"

"It's my job to keep those things in check." Gaara interjected sternly, and she suddenly felt defensive over it. 

"I understand that, but you don't have to hide from me, Gaara. I know you better than most people, and I will never judge you for feeling angry, sad, bitter, fearful, or any other emotion that people consider 'toxic'." The pinkette felt the urge to grab his hand from across the table, and as she clenched onto his pale fingers his haunting eyes flicked up to hers in astonishment. "Your feelings aren't toxic to me, and you don't have to put on your 'kazekage face' when we're together. You can just be yourself, a living and breathing man. You can just be Gaara." 

The redhead continued to give her an incredulous stare. The piercing ghostly color of his eyes seemed to gore her, sending a tightness through her stomach with fluttering chaotic anxiety. 

'He's so... intense--'

"You wouldn't want that from me." Gaara shook his head side to side, never once breaking eye contact. "I'd rather spare you the grief--"

"Then I shall spare you mine." Sakura took her hand away from his, and watched with curious eyes as his fingers curled in on the now empty space. 

"Sakura..." The redhead swallowed hard, and furrowed his bare brows before continuing. "You're going through a lot, my current problems are a moot point--"

"You can't fill my cup if yours is empty, Gaara. That's not how it works." The pinkette huffed, finally paying her breakfast the attention it was due. 

It hurt, and she couldn't understand why. She just wanted to be there for him like he was for her. Perhaps she felt jaded because it felt like he didn't trust her to help carry the weight. She was stronger than she looked, even with her past suicide attempt on her belt. Him voicing his issues wouldn't vex her in the least. On the contrary, it would make for a great distraction from her own pain. 

She wished he could understand that, but she just couldn't say it aloud, and instead spent the remainder of her time in the dining car barely pecking at her food. 

\--- ... --- ... --- 

They arrived in Suna at around three o'clock, at least four hours late. Even though there was word of what had happened, the second Gaara walked off the train he had attendants around him requesting an in person debriefing. His brother was among the greeting party.

Luckily for him Kankuro had been sticking around since the incident during the chunin exams, and he was quick to butt in to every invasive conversation in able to give his brother some space. Not that it concerned the redhead, he was used to such treatment. 

No, he was more worried about the way his new companion was faring. Cameras and reporters were suddenly in her face, and she seemed a bit shocked by the attention. 

"Kankuro." Gaara merely had to call out his brother's name, and the older of the two knew exactly what to do. 

Without questions asked he pushed past the reporters, grabbed hold of Sakura's arm, and turned back with her in hand while lightly pushing even more journalists to the side. They didn't seem to follow, much to what looked like her astonishment.

However, in the past when cameras and reporters really first started appearing Kankuro was not very appreciative of them. In fact, he had knocked out a guy for getting too invasive. After that incident every journalist in Suna knew not to approach the puppet master once he had said 'no comment' after they asked something. You only got the one singular warning, and everyone knew to stear clear of him when that time came during interviews. 

The pinkette almost looked dizzy as she was tugged gently along, her eyes wide and looking around for some sort of grounding. 

"Lord Kazekage, are you going to be housing Sakura Uchiha?"

"Lord Kazekage, could you clarify what happened on the train?"

"Lord Kazekage, is it true that you are making Sakura Uchiha the next Chief of Medicine?"

"Lord Kazekage, rumor has it that you and Sakura Uchiha are actually lovers, could you please clarify--?"

"What?" Everyone seemed to turn towards the last question, but it was actually Sakura who uttered the disbelieving word. A mousey looking reporter came right up to the pinkette, a recorder at the ready. 

"Miss Uchiha, it is said that you and the Kazekage have lengthy phone conversations, and that you rely on him for emotional support after the passing of your late husband Sasuke. Not only that, but the Kazekage went to retrieve you personally--"

"It's not like that--" The pinkette put up her hands to place distance, but the journalist saw it as a form of surrender. 

"Is it a romantic relationship? Or is it just a physical relationship--?"

"Now wait just a minute!!" At that question Kankuro went to step in, but the leaf kunoichi held her hand out to stop him. With a stern disposition she nearly glared at the reporter asking the filthy questions. 

"Our relationship is platonic, and we have no current plans of taking it any further than that. The rumors are false." Sakura finally found her backbone, and with a sigh she turned her back on the reporter. 

Her eyes found Gaara's then, and she looked incredibly tired. The questions had instantly drained her of everything she had left, making his heart sink into his stomach. He waved her over, and as soon as she got to his side they both stepped into a brisk yet proud walk to get away from the chaos.

"There will be no more interviews today." The redhead called out behind him, and almost laughed at the sound of dissapointment from the crowd. 

They continued on in relative silence through the streets of Suna, only occassionally talking to subordinates or officials in able to get everything in order, but other than that there was no words between them. 

The guilt began to fester inside of him as he wondered over what she might be thinking. 

Was she irritated? Triggered by the sensitive topic of Sasuke's death? Did she now hate Suna because of these things?   
It was times like these that made him actually loathe his own popularity. 

"I apologize... for everything..." Gaara murmured gently, but the pinkette remained silent despite him attempting to humbly break the ice. 

The silence was so thick, and it was beginning to make his head hurt. All he could hear was the sounds of their footfalls hitting the sandy ground.

"For starters, you were maltreated on the train. I could not keep those criminals from saying such horrible things to you, and I feel partly responsible for the lack in security--"

"If you're talking about how the crude topic of 'felatio' was brought up, save it. It's not the first time a man has talked to me that way, and it won't be the last." Sakura sighed, and finally cracked a smile. "I can't believe you were worried about that--"

"I've never heard anyone in my presence speak to a woman in that way, so forgive me if I found it strange." The redhead chuckled a little bit, finally glad that he was able to fix the sullen mood. 

"Ah, I see. Not the dirty-talking type." The pinkette gave a snort, and while it was a jab at him he could care less. As long as she kept smiling all was well in the world. 

"I suppose not, although I have never tried it--" 

"It can be cringy, or it can be interesting. Apparently during moments of intercourse if you 'talk dirty' the fear center of your brain that controls excitement and pleasure will activate causing pleasant body responses." Sakura chimed, her insane amount of knowledge on all things beginning to show itself once more. "Also, those who feel great responsibility can also feel submissive under the influence of words, and so it is an even deeper excitement for them--"

"I suppose that would make me a prime candidate then." Gaara chuckled, not realizing just what he had placed himself into.

While the conversation was odd he could agree that it kept their minds off of worse topics. Anything he could do to keep her cheerful was a stride in the right direction. However, the narrow sideways glance had him questioning whether this was actually a good plan or not.

"Are you considering expanding your more sensual hobbies?" The pinkette smirked, walking ahead of him as if she owned the place. 

Well, if there was one place that rarely changed it was the abode and work place of the Kazekage. It would be tacky for him to remodel years of history, regardless of the fact that sandstone was beginning to be a building resource of the past. 

Regardless, they entered the familiar building, and both of them seemed to ease as soon as they passed through the main hall. 

"Perhaps, I haven't really done much. Far too busy--"

"Do you have a lady friend you like to call on? Or are you just browsing?" Sakura was beginning to ask the more risky questions, and as they made their way to his 'office' he felt himself start to grow warm in the cheeks. 

"I've called on a small number... that number being two people, however I refuse to say names." The redhead sighed, and continued down the remainder of the hall. "As of now the first is married, and the other is off on a mission. So it seems that I am currently, as you like to say, 'browsing'." 

The pinkette began to slow until she was behind him, and he naturally stopped to address her instead of leaving her with her thoughts. Funnily enough, they were right outside his office door now.

"Oh, I didn't realize you actually... er... I thought you'd be the type to save yourself for marriage--" Sakura placed a fist in front of her mouth awkwardly to stop herself from speaking any more word vomit, but her initial impression of his private life had now been laid before him. "I thought you were just teasing before... although its ignorant of me to believe otherwise..."

"Ah." Was all he could say, anxiously looking off to the side before focusing in on his feet.

"Not that I believe no one would find you attractive or anything like that! Obviously you're... attractive..." At that he looked back up to find her shifting nervously on her feet, as if she were once again some sort of awkward teenage girl. Although, her choice of words had his heart skipping a bit as it was rare to receive such personal compliments. "I just feel like you're more the 'family' type. Kind of like a traditional values sort of husband--"

"I do value family, and friends above all else." Gaara began with a small smile to try to save her from the embarrassing hole she had dug, but he was also quick to lay on the truth. "Marriage just wasn't for me, also no one has the desire to marry me... or at least no one I have found an interest in." 

She blinked at him with slowly glossing eyes, as if she were about to cry over his predicament. While he wanted to comfort her over it he also couldn't lie that the topic also made him a bit sad as well, so instead he decided to just brush it off in an attempt to put it behind them. 

"So I gave up on marriage, but unfortunately I'm still human, and it is normal to desire close connections with people. Physical or otherwise--" 

"Gaara." The redhead was caught on the wrist by two soft feminine hands, and quickly reminded that she was really here. She wasn't just a voice over the phone. "I understand what loneliness feels like, even though I can hide that fact rather well. If you ever need someone... I'm more than willing to be there for you." 

Gaara didn't mean for it to happen, but it didn't change the fact that it did. Since his train of thought was already on a rather sinful path he couldn't stop himself from thinking about her in a tainted light. Her willing nature forced a dark imaginary scenario of him calling on her in the middle of the night, and his face felt like it might be on literal fire. 

"Mm." The redhead couldn't form a real word to respond to her, and he couldn't look her in the face. He had known what she meant, but his mind had naturally taken a wrong turn in translating its meaning. 

"Can I count on you to... do the same for me?" Sakura's voice sounded weak, and it's fragile tone instantly tamed him. 

There was no question, of course he would help her through anything. 

"Yes. No matter the hour, nor whatever I'm doing. If you have need of me I will be there to help the best that I can." Gaara turned then to smile at her, and with her hands still around his wrist he finally opened the door to his office-- 

A very familiar, yet slightly shocked teenage boy now stared at him from one of his client chairs. The youthful eyes darted from him to the woman holding his wrist suspiciously before he stood up with his usual apathetic demeanor. 

"Hello, father." The iron wielder shoved his hands into his pockets, looking even more like a grumpy teenager. 

"Hello, Shinki." The redhead smiled for his adopted son, but other than that he did no more to greet him. "Sakura, have you met my son, Shinki--?"

Fingers slipped away from his wrist, and he sadly missed the warmth they brought as soon as they were gone. She held no anxieties as she entered the familiar room, and closed the distance to the teenager.

"In passing, but not properly. It's a pleasure to meet you again, Shinki. I'm Sakura Uchiha--"

"Sarada's mother... I didn't expect to see you so lively." The brunette was rather shameless in his speaking, and before the redhead knew it he was hurrying over to Sakura's side to possibly break up an impending quarrel. "You caused some trouble for my father--"

"Shinki, enough." The redhead was there in an instant, placing his hand on the teens shoulder with a very stern look in his eyes. "Sakura is a treasured friend of mine. There has never been any issue from our friendship, and there never will be." 

Shinki stared then incredulously at his parent, and for a moment Gaara thought he might be wanting to challenge him, but he was quickly proved wrong as a pained expression made it's way on the boy's face. 

"You... you're injured?" 

The redhead had completely forgotten about it, but still subconsciously touched his cheek. 

'Shit.' 

"A bullet got a bit too close to my face, and sadly my sand doesn't appreciate point blank shots when it's not prepared." Gaara tried smiling gently, but the boy seemed inconsolable. 

"You don't ever get injured, father--" The brunette began to panic, and while the redhead was at a loss of what to do he suddenly felt his face be forcibly turned.

Two jade eyes gazed at him, and for a moment he felt a heat go to his cheeks from how concentrated the expression was--

That is until he realized his face was merely turned her way in able for her to properly address the wound. In hindsight they both realized they should have tended to the wound earlier, however at the time it was merely a flesh wound.

Yet the boy was right... Gaara rarely came home with flesh wounds, and such a sight would be troublesome for the son who knew his father best. It were as if the careful image he had accidentally placed before his child had been shattered. 

"It is all right, Shinki. As you can see, Sakura is a very skilled medic." The redhead went to smile, but blinked in surprise as he felt soft fingertips smooth over the freshly healed skin. Her warm hands slipped away from him once again, and just like before he yearned for that touch to stay where it was. 

"Mmhmm! No one, not even you or your father are invincible to injury. So when it happens please come to see me, and I will heal it for you." The pinkette smiled warmly at the now shocked teen, but it seemed to have the opposite affect. 

His face seemed to sour, and he quickly turned apathetic. 

"I don't need your help, and neither does my father--"

"Shinki!" Gaara couldn't believe the gall his son had to act in such a manner. This was not how his son ever behaved, and he felt slightly embarassed by it. "You will show Sakura respect. She is going to help more than just us, she is going to help all of Suna's citizens--"

"Good, she can stay far away in that hospital for all I care." Shinki bit venomously, once again making his father reel in disbelief. 

"Shinki--!!"

"It's fine, Lord Kazekage." At her honorific he turned his shocked cyan gaze on her, but her smile was unwavering. "I'll head over to the hospital now and take a tour. It is plain to see that your son desires your time now that you have returned, and I won't impose on that." 

Suddenly a lightbulb clicked. Everything seemed to make perfect sense as the kunoichi brought things into the light. 

Shinki was clearly jealous of the attention that Gaara gave to the 'newcomer', and while he usually wouldn't fan such behaviors he also needed to reassure the boy that he was still very much loved. 

The redhead let out a chuckle that turned into a full laugh, and waved off the pinkette with a knowing smile. With a bow she took her leave, closing the door gently behind her. 

Gaara finally turned to his son, who seemed to be in a state of awkwardness as he had become aware of his off-putting behavior. The redhead decided he would go easy on him 

"Alright, Shinki. Let's have a talk." Gaara motioned for his son to sit, and with a lowered head the boy did not dissapoint him. 

It was going to be a very long talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for taking the time to read this story. Please feel free to state how you feel about the chapters in the comments below, I truly do read all of them and appreciate the time it takes to comment. Thank you so much!
> 
> And for those who have already commented you have been lovely. Thank you for your support!


	5. Chapter 5

Sakura had seen the hospital, which was in all sorts of disarray, and had health code violations. She already made a checklist of everything that needed to be taken care of. 

The pinkette had also been shown her living space, which was inside the kage building as well. Her room just so happened to be directly below Gaara's, or so the shinobi helping her to get settled had told her. 

"Let's hope I don't hear him up all night with God knows who." Sakura had giggled at her own jest, but the masked shinobi in her doorway simply balanced awkwardly on his feet. 

"A rare occurrence indeed. I've never witnessed him do those things, but I've heard rumors from the other guards." The man was surprisingly open about the topic despite his initial bashfulness. "I doubt you will hear anything aside from pacing. He has a hard time sleeping." 

"Old habits die hard. I'm surprised he's so patient when he must be incredibly exhausted." The pinkette laughed once more, and thankfully the guard chuckled with her. 

"Sometimes he does get grumpy--"

"Nah-ah!" Sakura turned now to address the man in her doorway, and get the full scoop. 

"Indeed, when he does end up sleeping he usually wakes up quite bitter in the morning. He'll growl under his breath until he gets a cup of coffee in his system." She could tell the shinobi was smiling under the mask, and this little bit of information had her giggling like crazy. 

"--Ahem." A foreboding voice had cleared behind the guard, and caused both parties to lock up. "You're dismissed." 

"Yes, Lord Kazekage!" As the shinobi quickly bowed she finally saw Gaara's stern form standing behind him, arms crossed with a bitter expression. The shinobi then turned around and bowed again, then promptly left the area while the Kazekage took a powerful stride into the room. He closed the door behind him, and looked back to her with an unamused expression. 

"You're gossiping about me--?" He began bitterly.

"No! He was gossiping, I was just listening." Sakura snickered, and went to sit on her plush bed. His eyes followed her like a hawk while his mind seemed to race with many thoughts. 

"I heard you ask not so polite questions." As Gaara began to pace she had to hold in a snort. He zeroed in on her instantly. "Be careful when asking such things, especially amongst gossipers--"

"Oh relax! It was harmless, really. I just wanted to know if you'd be keeping me up all night." The pinkette had meant it to be a jab at his private life, but the flush to his cheeks told her how he truly took the comment. 

Perhaps she could instead use this moment to twist the knife a little.

"Get your head out of the gutter!" She barked. 

He turned a brighter shade of red that nearly matched his coat and hair. The expression was so hysterical that she couldn't stop herself from bursting out into a hearty fit of laughter.

He remained quiet for a long time, obviously embarassed that he had been caught thinking about her in an indecent way, even if it was brief. In fact, the thought oddly flattered her. That he even considered viewing her in such a light at any moment in time was enough to stroke her fragile ego. It was refreshing more than it was awkward. 

"I suppose the same could be said for you. Perhaps you snore?" As he finally found the backbone to make a jab at her she found her smile growing twofold. 

"I frequently scream at random moments of the night. Think nothing of it--" She began, but he seemed to grow serious at the mention of it. 

"I can't ignore screaming, I'll be knocking on your door the moment it happens--"

"Well, what if I have a friend over for the evening?" Sakura laughed once more as he visibly recoiled at the thought. 

'Oh ho? He didn't like that... interesting.' Her inner self smirked, feeling even more mischievous. 

"Then I will barge in, and kindly ask that person to leave. It is unprofessional to bring someone back to your room while you're staying in my home." Gaara huffed, and her eyes widened at the sudden 'rule' he had just laid down. 

"I didn't realize that I couldn't have gentleman callers, and what should I do if the urge arises--?"

"Take care of it yourself." The redhead shrugged, and attempted to hide a smirk that tried to make it's way onto his face. Her jaw dropped at his aloof attitude towards the topic, but she couldn't necessarily be mad about it either. 

There was no way she was going to find romance down here even if she wanted to. She was still heartbroken, and the guilt would weigh on her considerably. 

"Same goes for you then." The pinkette murmured quietly, and his cyan eyes focused even harder on her. "No girls allowed upstairs, okay?" 

His first reaction was to blink in surprise at her request, but when he gave her a curt nod she suddenly felt warm all over. 

'I can't believe he would put such things aside for my comfort... it's really sweet of him...' 

"If you're not busy tonight we would like you to join us for dinner." Gaara suddenly piped up, and her mind was instantly jumpstarted. 

"Who's we--?"

"Me, Shinki, and Kankuro. We're having steak for dinner." The redhead murmured, and began fussing with his hair. "It's just a family dinner... nothing special--"

"I would love that." Sakura answered without skipping a beat, and watched curiously as he began to go rigid. 

He flexed his hands for a moment, then was fidgety enough to cross them once more when he couldn't seem to figure out what to do with them. 

"Great. Yes... six thirty is when we're eating... Casual dress..." Gaara began to fumble with his words. 

'He must have never invited anyone over for a 'casual' dinner before...' The pinkette smiled further at the thought of her being special enough to be invited to a family dinner. It truly made her feel important and wanted. 

"Can you come pick me up? I have no clue where anything is in this place--"

"Oh! Of course. I will get you at six fifteen then." The redhead nodded sharply before once again turning awkwardly silent. 

'Twist the knife.' Her inner self goaded, and she felt herself succumbing to the urge. 

"Gaara, it's okay to ask me to dinner. I know you're not trying to hook up with me." Sakura teased, watching with satisfaction as he managed to turn away from her with a flush. "Unless that's actually your plan--?"

"Absolutely not!" Gaara whipped back around in a huff. The sight was so hysterical that she couldn't help but laugh. 

"Sorry! You're just acting so weird!" The pinkette gave a chipper grin that seemed to sober him. 

"Forgive me, it's just with so many people spreading rumors I'm finding it difficult to place a line on our relationship to keep it platonic." The redhead straightened out his duster, and adjusted his neatened hair. 

Gaara worrying about rumors, gossip, his appearance, and his behavior was odd. What had happened to the man that did not give a shit when it came to verbally slamming someone? What happened to the man who was as reckless as he was kind? He was so toned down now...

"You've really changed, Gaara." Sakura looked to the floor then, feeling dissapointed over the realization that he was no longer the mysterious youth who longed for friendship. Instead he had turned into a paper pusher. 

"And you never seem to change, still so strong and beautiful--" The redhead froze up mid sentence as a risky compliment slipped out. 

Her jade eyes were focused in on him as his mind raced to remedy the mistake.

"Forgive me, I meant it merely for endearment." He murmured

"It's fine, I know I'm cute." The pinkette laughed at herself, but couldn't help the way the compliment made her feel. 

He had found her beautiful in the past, and still found her beautiful today. While she knew she should have pushed the warmth away her heart sadly clung to the feeling that she thought she had lost. It was nice to be appreciated in any form. 

"Well, I have some documents that must be finished... I'll be back at around six fifteen." Gaara was quick to excuse himself, and judging by his flushed cheeks she surmised that he was really beating himself over the slip up. 

She wondered why she didn't mind the idea of a little crush, especially since she knew she should feel guilty about it. 

"I'll be waiting." Sakura smiled. 

\--- ... --- ... --- ... ---

"Idiot!!" Gaara continued to berate himself throughout the remainder of his work hours, occasionally bursting out into a random rant in the emptiness of his office. 

"I'm not some horned up teenage boy... I shouldn't even be entertaining any ideas... how stupid..." The redhead stamped a few more papers, but startled as his grandfather clock chimed from passing into the hour of six in the evening. 

It was a dreaded moment, he honestly didn't want to see her again for at least a week, but he had already went and invited her to dinner. There was nothing to be done but follow through with it. He wrapped up his work, and made his way quietly out into the hall--

"Well hello, Lord Kazekage." A familiar feminine voice had him giving a courteous smile, and he turned to see a kunoichi he knew far too well. 

"Good evening, Matsuri. How was your mission?" Gaara stiffened slightly as she leaned forward with a grin. 

"It went well, diplomacy wins again." The brunette's smile grew ear to ear as her gaze focused on him. "I missed you though. I was hoping we could go over the details in your office--"

"I... would love to... really. However, I am having dinner with Kankuro and Shinki." As much as he wanted to step away he stood his ground as she leaned in a bit further. Usually he didn't mind the attentions she gave, but for some odd reason he couldn't find the urge to indulge her this time. 

"Aw, sensei. They can wait five minutes, can't they?" As her fingers came up to play with his buttons he gently moved her hand away. 

"I'm afraid it cannot, and you should know that I'm not one to be quick about such things." He scolded her, but kept his tone teasing. The last thing he wanted to do was start a fight. 

"Aw, I hate it when you do this." Matsuri huffed, and crossed her arms like a spoiled child. "Fine, but you can't brush me off forever." 

"I know I can't, you're too persistent." Gaara teased once more, and as her jaw went slack in disbelief he trotted away from her with a hearty laugh. 

She shouted some impolite terms after him, but he simply waved them off as he wandered down the halls. 

Matsuri. She was his first student, and the one person that he now had an active physical relationship with. The only other woman he had slept with was Shijima. 

To be honest, he had fallen hard for Shijima, regardless of the fact that she was the sister to the arranged bride he was meant to marry. Shijima was slender, raven haired, and stunning even behind her thick glasses. He was fond of her maturity, and her honorable ways. 

Sadly she had found someone, and as always Gaara had let another woman go out of kindness. After his 'relationship' with her ended he felt himself grow lonely, and his heart began to weaken. 

He had gone soft, bland, yet efficient as ever. There was hardly ever a problem as he managed to push through everything like an unfeeling computer. 

Matsuri had noticed the behavior, or rather that's what he believed, as she had approached him quite boldly during a sleepless night in his office. 

The overworked man did not turn her away, nor did he find the union unenjoyable. On the contrary, it was a great change of pace. 

They didn't date, but they did manage to find each other if the night had grown too cold and lonesome, and at the time that was all he needed. 

But now he felt slightly ashamed for indulging in such a loveless lifestyle. There was no real companionship or communication between them, it was just duty and sex. Nothing more. 

It was empty. 

Gaara leaned up against the wall next to Sakura's door, and took a deep yet painful breath. He wanted more than what he had, and yet he also felt guilty for the desire. 

He was the Kazekage, had two wonderful and loyal siblings, irreplaceable friends, and a son who loved him. There was nothing more he could ask for--

'Wrong.' His inner self chimed, and he outwardly waved it away before pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"I miss Shukaku... if he were here I know he would have an answer to all of this..." The redhead felt his chest clench at that thought, and was so lost in his emotions that he nearly jumped out of his skin as a certain kunoichi popped out abruptly from her bedroom. 

"There you are! You're incredibly late. It's six thirty." Sakura scolded him, and for a moment he felt all of his previous pain disappear. 

She really did have a fire to her, and he always felt warmed by it. 

"Forgive me, I was lost in my thoughts." Gaara smiled, giving her a curt nod before waving her to follow him. Which she did without question. 

"You'll just have to make it up to me." The pinkette gave a soft laugh that left him smiling even further. 

"Name your price--"

"I demand to be included in at least five more family dinners. That way I can feel more at home here." Sakura trotted ahead of him, and then turned to walk backwards with a sly grin. "Maybe we can include a breakfast or two for good measure--!"

"Hey! You're just in it for the free food!" The redhead scoffed at her, allowing himself to get animated for once. Thankfully it made her laugh. 

"Perhaps! Or maybe I just want to hang out with Suna's biggest dork--!"

"Ah, yes. Kankuro is certainly Suna's biggest 'dork'." As Gaara grinned they both errupted into hearty laughter, and continued their banter all the way to the dining room. 

\---- .... --- ... --- ... ---

"Sakura, what do you think of Suna? It's changed a bit, hasn't it?" Kankuro chatted with her across the antique wooden dinner table while Gaara sat on his left at the head. Shinki sat on the other side of the puppeteer, but had said nothing since dinner began. 

"Ah, well... you guys have really come far with your technology... but your hospital is getting lazy. I'm going to have to pull out all the stops just to fix it." Sakura took a quick drink of wine before continuing the conversation with a wave of her hand. "Looks like you're getting lazy too, Kankuro--"

"Hey!! I'm not lazy, I'm just out of work!" Kankuro laughed, scooping himself up another helping of roasted vegetables. "I'm still in shape, want me to take my shirt off--?"

"Pass! I already got enough of that view when I was detoxing that poison from your body years ago. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I had actually believed you were 'huskier' due to your baggy clothes--"

Gaara choked out a single laugh, but quickly silenced himself as his elder brother nearly gaped at him. 

"--Also that cat-eared hood didn't help." The pinkette narrowed her eyes teasingly at the man across from her, delicately placing a piece of steak on her tongue before her pearly whites bit down on the metal of her fork. It spurred a sinister grin.

"Heh, well you said 'pleasantly' surprised. Which means I'm not bad looking!" As the puppet master threw a wink her way she almost missed his younger brother rolling his eyes, but was thankful that she actually caught it in time. It was a sight to see, and she smothered a giggle behind her hand because of it. 

"Lose the make-up and you look almost normal--" She nearly snorted.

"HEY!!!" Kankuro whined like a small child, but it had the head of the table breaking out into a small fit of chuckles, and it did not please the puppeteer one bit. "Yeah, well, at least I have eyebrows." 

That one seemed to actually strike a nerve despite the fact that Gaara had always recieved those sort of comments. 

'Must have caught him on an off day, bad timing Kankuro.' As she inwardly said this she turned to shoot the puppet master a narrowed glance, but he didn't seem to notice. 

"To be honest I like your features a lot, Gaara. To have no eyebrows, and still be so handsome is quite a feat." 

'Score one for Sakura! Chyaa!' She gave an inward cheer, but kept her outward appearance completely calm as she took another sip of wine. 

The table was a bit too silent for her liking, and she looked past her glass to see everyone but Shinki staring at her. 

'Guess he doesn't recieve many compliments on that front... that's really sad...' 

"Surely I'm not the only person who believes this? I thought you had... I don't know... groupies or something? I know Naruto still has girls swarming him, and he's married with two kids!" Sakura placed her napkin on her plate signaling that she was finished, and watched as the other two men poked at their meals awkwardly. No one seemed to answer, so she turned her sights on the last person who would desire to talk with her...

Shinki, who was now currently stabbing at a piece of meat. 

"On another note: Shinki, I'd like to spar with you some time soon. Maybe even tomorrow if you'll allow me?" The pinkette smiled warmly at him, and thankfully he had an easier time talking to her tonight. 

"I'm very dangerous to spar with--" He began, but her devilish grin only grew. 

"Oh, I bet." Sakura raised both brows in knowing before continuing. "That's exactly why I want to challenge you--"

"If you can't keep up with my father then I suggest you not even attempt it." The teen managed a small glare in her direction, but when her grin only grew the look faltered. 

"So what you're saying is that I have to kick Gaara's butt in able to get you to spar with me?" As it came out of her mouth the boy actually scoffed, and smiled. 

"Yes. If you last more than five minutes in a fight with my father I will allow you to spar with me--"

"Now hold on, Shinki. I did not agree to this." Gaara interjected sternly, and the boy seemed to deflate in an instant. 

She couldn't have that. Her heart couldn't bare to have such an opportunity pass by. It would be a great way to do some friendly bonding with both of them. 

"Uh-oh, 'someone' is chickening out." She eyed the redhead from the side while a smart smile graced her lips. Growing more amused as he started to huff. 

"I'm not 'chickening out', it's just unprofessional--"

"Oh for heavens sake, Gaara! You are a shinobi, not an office worker!!" The pinkette blurted it out before she could stop herself, and felt guilty as a look of disbelief crossed his features.

Now she had really done it, time to back up and reword her thoughtless statement.

"What I'm trying to say is that you need to fight someone on par with your own talents once in a while or else you will begin to gather dust. A body in motion stays in motion..." Sakura pouted her lips slightly, wondering if he would ever find that spirit he had when he was younger. 

'He's gotten to be so bland... nothing like the man I once knew--'

"You want to spar? Fine. Are we using chakra, or just our natural strength?" Gaara sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. 

Despite his annoyance she found herself nearly squealing. She pushed out her chair, and rushed to stand before scurrying over to him for an impromptu embrace. The redhead grunted from the impact of her near flying hug, and kindly patted her on the back out of courtesy before she giddily parted from him. 

"Whatever you like! I'll let you choose our terms!" The pinkette clapped her hands excitedly with a small squeak of joy.

"How about you guys do the more basic stuff? Maybe just the sand from his gourd, and your chakra fists?" Kankuro offered up an idea, and funnily enough it was actually not a bad one. 

"I would like to add taijutsu in there too, I heard Gaara was keeping up with Lee there for a moment--" 

"I am no taijutsu master, but I do practice regularly." The redhead gave a proud nod at his own abilities, and she nearly squealed again before turning back towards Shinki. 

"You are going to see some legitimate sparring tomorrow! So bring a pen and paper, because you're definitely going to want to take notes!" Sakura nearly cheered, and the boy simply nodded in agreement. 

Tomorrow was going to be so much fun!

\--- ... --- ... --- ... ---

He stood across from her now, in the middle of the vast desert that surrounded Suna. The sun was high above them, but the breeze was good and cooling. 

Gaara's cyan eyes took in his atmosphere, noting that his brother and son were watching from atop a tall dune. He was waiting patiently for his brother's signal, yet also studying everything around him. 

Sakura was strangely calm, and quiet for once. It was odd, and yet it was also hypnotic. Her normal fire was a blue flame standing still even when threatened by the wind. 

Her eyes were on him suddenly, but carried no thought or feeling. She was nothing like she was when she had been younger, there was no panic or caution in her eyes. Instead it were as if she was in her natural environment; reading a book, watching the rain from her window, taking a relaxing stroll under the trees. Completely centered, and unmoved by anything. 

A loud bang sounded off, signaling them to start, but before the sound could even echo she had already disappeared. With widened eyes he managed to see her in his peripheral vision with her arm cocked, and thankfully his sand blocked her just in time. 

Although, the initial shockwave had him flying backwards until he could land on a platform of sand. As she appeared on his other side with another chakra fist at the ready the grains flew him up and away to avoid the strike. 

"Damn, she's fast--" Just as he said it he felt a tingling from above him, and with a blink her image below was gone. 

A powerful strike had his entire face crackling, and his body crashing into the sand below. He knew he had no time to recover, and as soon as his mind allowed him to he transformed into a cloud of sand. Just in time it seemed, as a powerful chakra strike had dispersed his grains into the air as her fist reached the ground. 

Gaara managed to collect himself, but decided that materializing beneath her feet was best. So as the grains landed with the rest of the debris on the ground he did just that. He held his breath under the sand, and used his ultimate defense to snake around her leg. 

"What--!?!" The pinkette yelped, but he didn't give her time to get away before clenching his fist. 

The scream that followed was difficult to bare, but with the way she came at him he assumed it was fair play. He pulled himself up from the sand to see her on the ground, already healing her shattered leg. 

She was sweating, pale, and breathing harder than he had ever seen. He didn't know exactly how painful it was, but by the way her body attempted to sway he assumed that she was trying everything to keep herself from going unconscious. 

"Are we calling it--?" He took a step forward, but she responded with a feral growl that made him recoil. 

"NO!" The gem on her forehead glowed for a moment, but no lines had formed on her body like he thought they would. Instead her leg had simply healed, and she was back on her feet with a panting breath. "You're going to pay for that, you bastard."

He blinked at the fact that she had actually sunk low enough to insult him. It was poor sportsmanship for sure, yet he had just shattered her leg so he couldn't rightly blame her for the animosity--

She disappeared again, and as she reappeared in front of him he brought up his sand to block. However, instead of flying backwards he instead saw his ultimate defense shatter right before his eyes. A half powered fist hit his cheek, and it was then that he went flying through the air. 

While in mid air she appeared above him, and out of instinct his sand formed sharp spikes that actually skewered her. It still didn't stop her from striking him again, tearing through her own muscle and flesh just so she could lay a vicious blow to his face. 

Gaara didn't just feel his sand shatter, he felt the bone underneath break as well. His eye was now unusable... 

'This is bad... very bad--' He landed on the ground in a heap, and even though he was focused on his pain he didn't fail to notice the other bloody body plop harshly on the sand like a rag doll. 

"SAKURA!!" The redhead screamed her name fearing he had just killed her. The wounds he saw were not the kind you lived through.

He could see her back move to balance on her hands as blood began pouring violently from her wounds, but then black bands began to form all along her skin. She was glowing, but then her skin turned ashen, and then shriveled like a mummy. 

Gaara could only see the pinkette with one good eye, but the transformation was horrifying. He couldn't see her face, and he didn't want to imagine how decrepit she looked in that moment. 

Suddenly color returned to her skin, and the shriveled flesh once again became youthful and firm. 

"All that... just to get in one hit..." Sakura panted while getting onto her knees to finally address him. She looked fresh, but she looked exhausted beyond belief. "I'm so stupid... for wasting my power on this..." 

The pinkette crawled towards him with her arm outstretched, and his first reaction was to flinch. She blinked at him, her eyes beginning to soften with guilt. 

"I did get you good though, when was the last time you broke a bone--?"

"Well... I've never actually broken a bone before." The redhead shook his pounding head, but managed a small smile as her hand touched his blacked cheekbone. The greenish blue light that poured from her fingers instantly took the throbbing pain away. "Thank you..." 

"It's no problem, but if you ever break my leg again I will do far worse than this." Sakura gave him a small glare, and while he was intimidated he couldn't help but laugh. 

He was just glad that he didn't actually kill her. 

"Shinki will learn a lot from you--"

"You could learn a lot too. You've slowed down quite a bit." The pinkette snipped at him, but it merely made him chuckle. "You still rely too much on your sand. I know you have a vast amount of chakra, there are other things you can do with it--"

"I already use my chakra flawlessly, unless you have a new jutsu for me--"

"Come to my healing class." Sakura interrupted him once more, and he blinked in surprise. 

Did he even have the capacity to heal with chakra? Didn't it require exceptional chakra control? 

"Father!!" The sound of his son's voice coming rapidly closer had him alert, and by the time boy had reached him the wound around his eye had completely healed. 

Shinki grabbed hold of his father's shoulders, looking him over for any further injuries before looking at the woman next to him with accusing eyes. 

"You--!!" 

Gaara was expecting a fight, and had been readying himself for one, but the way Shinki had paused mid sentence had him utterly confused. 

The boy seemed stunned, blinking wildly before quickly placing his gaze to the sandy ground. It looked far too humbling, and his son was hardly ever a humble person. 

"Shinki?" The redhead tried to understand what was happening, and looked to Sakura for guidance--

"Uh..." He quickly realized the issue with a fast once over with his eyes. Without thinking much on it he began removing his jacket. 

"What are you doing--?"

"You're going to need this to get back into town." Gaara was going on autopilot at this point, and swiftly shirked off his duster. Thankfully he was wearing a netted shirt underneath, and wasn't stuck completely shirtless. 

He got to his knees, and right as Kankuro finally got to them he had draped the garment over her shoulders. It didn't take long for her to figure out why he did it. 

The spikes from earlier. Despite having healed her body she unfortunately could not heal her clothes, and they were in literal tatters by that point. 

She said nothing, but buttoned up the coat with a burning flush to her cheeks. 

"What is wrong with you two?! That looked way too rough!" Kankuro crossed his arms, and had he not been wearing any makeup the redhead swore he would have looked identical to their father. "Gaara, you could have killed her with that move--!!"

"Do you believe for even a second that I executed that move of my own will? Because I certainly didn't." Gaara spat back a bit too venomously for his own liking, and funnily enough it shocked him the most. "Ah... forgive me, Kankuro. You are right... I made a mistake..." 

He turned his guilty cyan eyes onto Sakura, and opened his mouth to apologize--

"Don't." The pinkette put up her hand to stop him. "It was my fault. I could have avoided that attack, but I was so pissed at you that I let it hit just so I could punch you in the face." 

The redhead gaped for a moment, shocked that she would ever admit such a thing. 

"You cheated." Shinki mumbled, but it was audible enough for everyone to hear.

"She didn't cheat, Shinki." Kankuro was actually the one to step up to teach the boy an important lesson, and while Gaara was prepared to do it himself he graciously let his older brother take the floor.

"Her body can take damage that ours can't, and in a fight she can use her own flesh as canon fodder. An enemy is expecting you to flee from a deadly attack, not take it head on. It leaves them open, and extremely vulnerable once they realize their mistake in assuming that instinct will take over. Sakura has managed to push past pain, and the instinct for survival. Those are things that hinder nearly every single shinobi, it is something to aspire to." The puppet master held out his hand to the pinkette to help her stand, and she took it without question. 

"You're one of the most impressive shinobi I have ever met, and yet you still continue to surprise me--"

"Thank you, Kankuro, but I don't deserve that much praise." Sakura shook her head while the rest of the group followed her lead in standing. "I was reckless just now, which I haven't done for a long time. I should never use tactics like that in a sparring match. I wasn't fighting honorably, so Shinki is right to be angry with me." 

She turned then to the shocked teen, and bowed. 

"Forgive me. Next time I will be more tactful." 

No one could say anything against it, yet all of them were still in awe over the whole ordeal. 

She was a truly remarkable woman indeed.


	6. Chapter 6

"What the hell is going on over there!?!" 

Sakura had to pull the phone away from her ear due to Naruto's irritating screeching. With a sigh she rubbed the bridge of her nose, and tried to compose herself by actively remembering that she was talking to her 'Hokage' rather than just the number one numbskull ninja in all of Konoha. 

"I had a wardrobe malfunction sparring yesterday, and he let me borrow his coat--"

"You're all over the freaking news!! The rag magazines are having an absolute hay-day! Do you have any idea how much trouble this has caused?! I have people calling left and right asking about you, AND I'M NOT YOUR SECRETARY--!!"

"Naruto. Calm down. Nothing happened." The pinkette took deep breaths, and clawed the comforter on her bed as she tried desperately to not scream back at him. 

She didn't want this, and it was all over a stupid coat! Originally she had come here to try to escape her pain, and now she was simply exacerbating it by layering on useless drama.

"I really can't, Sakura!! This is fucking ridiculous--!!" 

Her last straw snapped, and she shouted so loudly and incoherently into the phone that she didn't even understand what she was saying herself. All she knew was by the end of it she started seeing black spots in her vision, and a calm voice called out to her so gently--

But it wasn't Naruto. 

Someone took the phone carefully out of her hand. Gentle pale fingers pried the reciever away, and she turned to see an understanding face staring down at her with a warm smile. 

"I'll handle it." Gaara said ever so softly, and all she could do was nod dumbly. 

His eyes went serious then, his lips forming a tight line as he held the receiver to his ear. Blackened lids narrowed as someone on the other side spoke. 

"She's unavailable now. You've made her far too upset to properly talk anymore, so I'm commandeering this conversation." His eyes were on her at first, but then stared forwards with a sudden fire. As if challenging an invisible foe. "Do you really think I would do something so low? Honestly, Naruto, you know me better than that." 

There was a moment of silence, and the redhead was nodding his head as he decided to sit next to her on the bed. How he even got there in the first place was a mystery at the moment.

"We were sparring, yes, but it was for good reason. Shinki has this glorified view of me, and I want him to branch out on his learning. Since he respects no one else, Sakura and I decided to spar to show him that she is my equal in strength, and unfortunately we both got a bit carried away." 

The pinkette blushed at the compliment. The fact that Gaara considered her his equal on the battlefield was intensely flattering. 

"I ended up goring her with my defense, it was an accident. She healed it right away but the damage to her clothes was not repairable, so I lent her my coat. That was all that happened." 

There was shouting on the other end of the phone once again, and Sakura got to actually witness Gaara rolling his eyes. 

"That's not true, and you know it--"

More shouting, and this time he began to clench his jaw. 

"Naruto, she's fine." 

Some very loud yelling ensued. 

"Naruto, I'm not fu---!" He stopped himself mid sentence, fixing his mouth into a tight line to keep in whatever word he was about to say. Although, by the way his cheeks colored she was pretty sure that the next word he had planned on using was not a polite one. 

"We're not doing 'that'. It's just a lie made up in a trashy magazine. Completely fabricated to make money, and cause drama. How many times has a tabloid tried to accuse you of cheating on Hinata, hmm? We both know it's not true, yet the articles claim the opposite. Stop reading garbage, and trust your friends, please." 

At first he was nodding in agreement with whatever Naruto was saying, but then he quickly recoiled. 

"You know what? If I sleep with her you'll be the first person I talk to, would that make you feel better?! Stop acting like an idiot!" Gaara handed the phone back to her with a huff, shaking his head in frustration. "I'm done with this. Hang up on him if he continues this ridiculous witch hunt. If he gets mad I'll call him later, and chew him out." 

Sakura blinked at the redhead, and watched in wonder as he mussed up his neat crimson locks with anxious hands. She placed the reciever to her ear, and sighed loud enough for the blonde to hear her. 

"Are you in a sexual relationship with him? Please be honest with me--"

Snap. 

"You know, at this point I might as well be since everyone is telling us that we're together. I'll send you a wedding invitation-- actually, no. On second thought, you're not invited to this imaginary wedding because you're a FUCKING ASSHOLE." This time it was Gaara's turn to blink at her, but she couldn't care less anymore. 

"I'm done, Naruto!! I'm stressed out!! I came here to get away from all the constant reminders that my husband died, and everyone still wants to give me grief!! I might as well just come home, and go back to the hospital IN A BODY BAG--!!!" 

The phone was forcefully taken from her, only this time it was hung up. She looked at the redhead in shock, but he simply reflected pain in his cyan depths. 

"I'm so sorry." Gaara shook his head side to side, and then swiftly took her hands into his own. "I'm sorry this is happening. You don't deserve this--"

"To be honest I really didn't care about it until he called me." Sakura's eyes started to sting, so she closed them to keep the tears inside. "I just hate that he's treating me like this... I'm not a teenager... I'm not a kid... why is this my fault?!" 

It was too late, she couldn't stop herself from crying. It was coming out in ugly heaves and sobs while she completely loathed herself for doing it. 

She hated herself, just as she always had.

"It's not fair--!!" The pinkette began to cry harder, but was comforted by a tight and warm embrace. 

Sakura's sobs turned into hiccups as the sudden gesture shocked her, but the way his larger hands held her frame felt so completely comforting. It was like she was meant to be there in his arms, or that she fit just right. Maybe it was just the fact that she was being held so protectively by another human being, but then again she had never seen Gaara embrace anyone before so it made the hug feel much more special. 

That was it. She felt protected, special, wanted, and understood all in the same instance. With that one gesture she instantly found peace within her inner turmoil, finally finding focus in something outward and physical. The pain didn't matter anymore because he was there holding her tight, she was finally safe. 

"It's going to be okay." Gaara's soft whisper tethered her to him, his dusty voice almost had her humming in contentment. The security he gave made her feel needy, as if she had to scoot onto his lap to be cradled. She didn't do it, but she did latch her arms over his shoulders, and hid her face in the crook of his neck. "Sakura... I'm so sorry for the pain this has caused you. I never intended for it--"

"This makes up for it." The pinkette blurted out, and sniffled back more tears. She felt him tense against her, but she had already resigned herself to be weak so she chose to ignore his awkwardness. "Forgive me... but can you hold me a bit tighter? It's... comforting..." 

She could hear his mouth open with a gentle click of his tongue, like he had wanted to say something but couldn't find the courage. Thankfully he obliged her request, and held her so tightly that she almost felt discomfort, but in the end it was exactly what she needed. 

Sakura gripped into his coat holding him just as hard as he held her, and her last few tears fell. They stayed that way until her breathing became calm, but even then she didn't want him to go. 

Could they ever do this again? She wanted to be held like this every time she was sad. Would it even be appropriate for her to ask such things of him on a regular basis? She had never felt so comforted in her life...

She wished she could have these moments with him, and not have strange people breathing down her neck. Perhaps if they were ordinary they could have moments like this without issue.

"I knew you were lonely." Gaara murmured gently, and began petting her hair. She exhaled under the gentle touch while letting her pain be swept away with each stroke of his fingers. "I wanted to give you peace of mind here... but I have only provided you with grief--"

"No..." The pinkette shook her head against his collar, and relaxed completely in his arms. "This is what I need... I just needed to be held... thank you, Gaara." 

The more she relaxed the more she found him relaxing with her. Soon his body started to rock back and forth, swaying her into an even more peaceful state. She sighed once more, and allowed herself to be lulled by him. 

The phone blared next to her, ripping her away from her peaceful dreamlike state. Back into the horribly stressful reality--

"Hello, this is Kazekage Gaara speaking." Still holding her, he held up the reciever to his ear in able to take the call that was obviously meant for her. Funnily enough it had her breathing a sigh of relief.

However, she was close enough that she could hear the person on the other end of the line.

"Ah-- Hello Lord Kazekage! I was expecting to speak with my mom, but I uh... guess she's busy--?"

"Hand it to me!" Sakura reached desperately for the phone, and he gladly obliged her. She put the phone to her ear, and her heart began to race wildly. "Sarada?"

"Hi mama! I was just calling to check up on you. I saw some really strange article's in the news lately, so I thought I would get the information from the horse's mouth."

"Thank you for being kind enough to not make assumptions like everyone else." The pinkette gave a sigh of relief while her daughter giggled on the other end. 

"I know you're not doing anything like that, mama. However, it looks like you're getting to be better friends with the Kazekage." 

Sakura flushed red then, quickly realizing that she was still in said man's arms. She straightened, and he let her slip from his grasp graciously. 

"Y-yeah... we're good friends--"

"Mama... that didn't sound convincing." Her daughter's voice went darker than it's usual chipper tone, and her mother felt the suspicion all the way through the reciever. "You haven't kissed him, have you--?"

"Absolutely not! No!" The pinkette shook her head wildly despite the fact that her daughter couldn't see it. 

"I mean, I know you're hurt... and I know you and Papa didn't have the best marriage... so I could understand it if you find comfort from him--"

"Why is it that you always sound like you're the adult, and I'm the child?" Sakura huffed for a moment, and Sarada laughed. 

"Because I matured quickly, and you're very emotional. You worked late nights, and I cooked dinner. You were a single mom... and I could see how much stress everything put on you... so I allowed you to be a little immature sometimes. I know you still love me more than anything, and I know you always will." The brunette sounded like she had a smile in her voice, and it brought a few more tears to her mother's eyes. "I love you, mama. I just want you to be happy again some day." 

The pinkette broke down once more, only this time she quietly sobbed away from the reciever before catching her breath. 

"I love you, Sarada. Don't you worry about a thing. I'll be just fine." Sakura faked her way through it, but felt guilty as Gaara watched her have such a conversation with her own child. She avidly avoided his gaze, because she knew she would cry harder if she saw his judging expression. 

"Mama, do what you need to do to feel better okay? I love you." Sarada sounded so sincere that the pinkette couldn't help but smile. 

"I love you too, Sarada. Take care." 

The reciever went dead, and with each sound of the repetitive dial tone she felt herself begin to sink. 

Her emotions were like a roller coaster, at one moment she felt so alive, and at others she felt like curling up to die. She knew her body couldn't take it for much longer.

"Sakura..." Gaara's gentle voice broke through the madness, and as she felt her heart skip a beat his hand patted her head gently to keep her grounded. "You can hang up the phone now. No more calls tonight." 

"Says you, I've been having people calling all day. A lot of them I don't even know... and they keep bringing up Sasuke... I just... I feel so guilty--!!"

"Don't be, these people are just searching for drama to talk about because their own lives aren't as entertaining." The redhead took the reciever from her hand, and hung it up.

Just as he did so the phone rang again, and with a narrowed gaze he ripped the entire thing cord and all from the wall. It stopped the noise, which made him smile in satisfaction before placing the device back on her bedside table to admire his handiwork.

"No more calls." Gaara turned back to her and smiled further, then lovingly brushed some of her pink locks out of her eyes. "Let's forget them all, together." 

Her jade eyes focused on his cyan ones in wonder, and in her desperation for peace she slowly nodded her head. 

She allowed him to lead her away from the chaos, and into his world. 

\--- ... --- ... --- ... ---

Gaara had sent a message to Kankuro, telling him that he was out for the evening with Sakura to get away from the gossip. 

He hadn't recieved a reply, and he knew this wasn't exactly smart, but he couldn't stand to see her cry like that again. Not when he knew that it was his fault. 

No, instead he was determined to steal her from the noise, and bring her with him into the quiet of the desert. She had spaced out the entire way there, but he wondered if it was just her enjoying the scenery all around them bathed in the light of a full moon. 

At any rate, as long as she could find it peaceful he saw nothing wrong with slipping away for the night. If he was caught with her alone he would gladly pay to keep that person's mouth shut. 

In fact, he had plans for tomorrow. A visit to some of those pesky journalists could do some good...

'Don't do anything too brash. Yes, Sakura is important, but you can't forget about the rest of the village too.' Even though he inwardly scolded himself, he couldn't stop the satisfaction blooming inside him at the idea of cracking a couple skulls... and by hand as well. 

"It's so quiet out here..." Sakura murmured behind him, and her arms tightened their hold around his waist. "It's like there's no life--"

"Yes... I've wandered through these dunes wondering something similar, but it is a calming sort of quiet. Much like snow..." Gaara lowered the flying platform of sand until they came to a body of water, which had originally appeared to look like the rest of the sparkling sand bathed in moonlight. 

They lowered to the ground, and he stepped off first before reaching out for her hand. She took it hesitantly, but didn't let go even as she got onto the desert floor. He was surprised by the way her fingers adjusted to lace with his own, and had to turn his face away less she see him blush from it. 

This wasn't supposed to be a romantic outing by any means, if anything it was just an escape. Yet his heart was pounding relentlessly in his chest as she held onto his hand a bit tighter with each step towards the shining waters. 

"It's beautiful..." The pinkette murmured dreamily, and took a few steps forward until her shoes were completely drenched. To which he pulled her back to him with concern. 

"You can't go swimming... you'll get your clothes wet." The redhead stifled a small laugh, and stopped as she looked down at her red dress and white pants. 

She looked back to the water with a stare that was thousands of yards away, and began to thumb at the fastenings of her outfit--

"W-wait just a moment!" Gaara tried holding her hands back from her task, but with her mouth in a firm line she turned away from him to break the contact. 

He couldn't believe what was happening, had she snapped again? What was spurring on this behavior--?

The red dress top slid off her frame into a heap on the ground, leaving nothing to see but her bare back bathed in pale moonlight. As he gawked in disbelief the pinkette's white pants were shimmied down to reveal more creamy skin and pale pink underwear. Her heeled shoes were also quickly discarded, and she wandered aimlessly into the water as if in a trance. 

As stunning as she was, he felt that now was not the time for him to be struck dumb by her beauty. Something else was at play here.

"Sakura?" The redhead called out, too nervous to chase after her like he should have. 

Sakura didn't answer, instead her image began to slowly sink into the water with each careful step until her pink hair dissapeared below the surface. 

The water went painfully still, hardly disturbed by her presence at all.

She wasn't coming back up...

"Shit!!" Gaara outwardly cursed, scrambling out of his coat and shoes before practically running into the now barely moving water. 

He made a dive, swimming hard in a breast stroke with his eyes wide open under the clear water. The cold liquid was painful on his eyes, and everything was blurred, but eventually he saw a humanoid figure laying on the reservoir floor. The moonlight was piercing through the crystal water, shining on her like a beacon. 

The redhead moved hard and fast to get to her, and reached his arms around her smaller frame to pull her up off the watery ground. Even with his vision blurred he could see her confusion as he pulled her to him, and with a powerful kick he pushed them up off the sandy floor to quickly break the surface of the water. 

He could hear her gasping for air, and while it was good that she was breathing he wasn't expecting to get smacked on the head and shoulders. 

"What the hell is your problem!!?!!" She screeched at him, and he tried desperately to stop her hands. 

"You were drowning--!!"

"I was swimming, you idiot!!!" Sakura barked at him, and with an irritated growl she began swimming towards the more rocky side of the reservoir; kicking water in his face as she made her way towards her goal. 

Gaara treaded water for a moment, trying to grasp everything that had just happened. 

Was he too panicked to realize that she was simply swimming? That she was actually at the bottom of the reservoir to calmly collect her thoughts? He had also done this before, it wasn't that uncommon. Why was he so paranoid that she might try to kill herself again? 

"Sakura... I'm sorry!" The redhead tried calling out to her, but she was already climbing halfway out onto a rock. 

Without thinking he began swimming towards her, focusing more on his form and breathing in able to make it to the rocks faster. When he finally made it to the edge he looked up with a panting breath to find her staring back at him with a wide-eyed expression. 

She was half-turned away from him with her arms protectively covering her chest...

Gaara had never flailed in able to turn his body, but in this case he was flopping around just to try to give her some decency. He turned his eyes to the water, and felt his breath catching in his throat. 

"I-I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking..." The redhead sunk down to his nose in the water, feeling a strong urge to hide in that moment out of embarassment. 

'She probably thinks I'm some sort of pervert...' He inwardly berated himself, which was something he frequently did whenever he did something wrong. 

A shifting in the waters next to him had Gaara turning his head, only to see the pinkette still holding her chest while wading back into the water. Once her chest was concealed her arms spread out to allow the water to surround her completely, but he could still just barely see what laid under the surface of the crystal clear ripples. 

"Your shirt and pants are soaked now." Sakura scolded him, and he once again had to look away out of embarassment. "You should have taken them off before coming in--"

"I didn't have time to think about it, I thought you were drowning." The redhead huffed, but then pulled his soaking wet black shirt from over his head before tossing it on a rock with harsh splat. 

He realized his pants would be harder to manage in the water so he maneuvered up onto a rock in able to try to get out of them, but it proved to be more difficult than he initially thought. 

"Idiot." The pinkette swam over to him, and reached up out of the water to take hold of the halfway removed pants. 

She started with his ankles, roughly tugging at the fabric until it was down far enough for him to shift out of them. He was just thankful that he was wearing black boxer briefs rather than something on the lighter side. 

"There, put these up with your shirt." Sakura tossed the sopping garment, and he caught them with one skilled hand before stretching them out next to his equally drenched shirt.

Gaara turned back to see her staring at him, and not in the normal sense of staring. Her eyes held something familiar, but before he could recognize the look she quickly turned away from him, and swam towards the center of the reservoir. 

Suddenly he had the urge to follow, and so he dived in after her before skillfully swimming up next to her. She squeaked when she realized how close he was, and he put distance between them as a result. 

"Stop getting so close to me!" Sakura splashed him, but he simply shook off the water. 

"Why are you determined to be far away from me then--?" 

"Because I'm shirtless, you pervert!" The pinkette shrieked, then attempted to splash him again only for him to go beneath the surface. 

When he heard her scream echo underneath the water he instantly popped back up with a confused expression. 

"Stop looking!! I know you just peeped--!!"

"I can't see well under water! There's no point!!" The redhead snapped back at her, but was surprised when he watched her take a deep breath to go under the surface. 

Through the moonlit waters he could see her silhouette swimming towards him, and with about a foot of distance away she stopped. Her hands reached out to touch his bare abdomen, and with gasp he gathered her hands to pull her up. 

"Hey--!!" Sakura squirmed in his grip, unable to push her soaked pink hair out of her eyes. "I could still see you under the water! You're a liar--!"

"I was never that close to examine you! Plus, you just touched me! You're the real pervert here, not me!" Gaara argued vehemently, but soon felt bad that he had essentially left her blind.

His hand abandoned her wrist, and as he pushed away her drenched bangs her free hand instinctively went to hold onto his shoulder. He trembled as he felt her thumb move against his skin, and wondered if she was just testing to see what it felt like. Curiosity had him too, and he couldn't stop his fingers from running gently down her damp cheek. 

"I'm sorry I touched you... I just wanted to know how far away you were..." The pinkette shivered as his hands traced her jaw and neck while hers held firm to both of his toned shoulders. 

"I'm closer than you think... you should be more careful--"

"I'm sorry." Sakura whispered bashfully, but her eyes were suddenly locked on his own. 

He was becoming entranced by her, and the way the moon's reflection on the water lit up her eyes. 

"Don't be... I don't mind it." The redhead felt his breathing grow tight, and yet he was getting every ounce of oxygen that he could.

Her head tilted slightly, as if trying to take him in from a different point of view--

Suddenly water was splashed in his face making him blind again, and all that was left behind was the sound of her laughter drifting away from him. 

Oh, she was going to get it now. 

Gaara dipped down quietly beneath the cool surface, and swam more towards the bottom of the reservoir. He followed the sandy floor almost like a manta ray, searching her out through the sound and visual of her splashing in the distance. 

As the redhead got closer he could hear her calling out for him, and even through the water he could sense her fear and worry. She had made her way towards the beach, enough for her to be able to stand with her head above the water. He circled around her, carefully making his approach like a silent shark. With his arms out he prepared himself, and made his attack-- 

Gaara lunged for her waist, and yanked her under the water. Her scream formed a flurry of bubbles that had him laughing, but the glow of her fist made him instantly retreat. They both came to the surface at the same time, and while he had found much humor in it she herself looked like a drowned cat. 

"Gaara..." Sakura gave a low growl as she lifted her sopping hair, and he felt the heat from her glare even in the cool water. 

"It was only a joke." The redhead put his hands up in surrender, but as she started trekking towards him he instantly bee-lined for the shore. 

The pinkette was fast, catching up to him in the now waste deep water only to give a battle cry while jumping onto his back. He sank under the surface of the water, and wrestled with her arms in able to get back up to breathe. 

Once upright he tried shaking her off, and when she wouldn't budge he decided to just try to calm himself to figure out a different plan of attack--

"I win!! Ha ha!!" Sakura flicked the back of his head, and rubbed her victory in his face. 

Gaara wouldn't have that, so he sank down beneath the water once more, and began swimming with her on his back. He settled on the bottom, and waited patiently. 

Now it was a contest of who could hold their breath the longest. He was rather good at it due to the fact that sand was usually his protection, and one could not properly breath with sand in their lungs. 

When the pinkette started twitching he knew her time was up, and he shook her off with ease. They both came up to the surface, but once he got in a fresh breath of air he felt her body slam him so hard that he fell right back down. Funnily enough they had moved further up shore, so when he fell his head didn't go under water like he had thought it would. 

Sakura must have thought the same thing, as her expression became confused when she realized that he wasn't sinking any further. She even pushed at his shoulders to try to get him to go under, but there was nowhere else to go. 

"I win." The redhead gave her an ear to ear grin, watching with glee as she started to pout. 

"You little brat! You cheated!" The pinkette thoughtlessly straightened above him, and began wringing out her hair. "You purposefully moved up shore to make it more difficult--!"

At first his gaze was zeroed in, noticing every single inch of her body point blank. She was incredibly beautiful, as if age had not touched her at all. However, he knew that it wasn't right. He knew she wouldn't approve of him taking in her natural beauty, and instead turned his head to look off to the side. 

"Ah-ha!! See! You feel bad now, don't you--?!"

"Perhaps we should go home..." Gaara bit his lip. He didn't want to embarrass her, or to point out the fact that he had seen her chest very clearly. He didn't know what to do to keep this from becoming awkward. 

"Are... are you not having fun?" Sakura's hands brushed some of his damp red hair from his face, and while he liked the attention he couldn't rightly tell her that. 

"This was fun... but now it's getting a bit too carried away. I'd rather not make you uncomfortable..." The redhead swallowed hard, and finally heard that dreaded sound that he had been anticipating for the past five minutes. 

She gasped, and held herself protectively. He had prepared for her to get upset about it, but when he heard her soft giggles he couldn't help but look back at her in confusion. 

The pinkette was smiling, flushing a flattering shade, and giggling. 

"I'm really sorry... it's just funny how serious you just got!" Sakura laughed a little harder, but still held her arms across her chest. 

"I have to be serious... it's a serious thing--"

"Seeing my boobs is a 'serious thing'?!" The pinkette almost roared in laughter, and had to bend forward to rest her head on his shoulder just to keep from tipping. "Well I hope they didn't scare you-!"

"Ah... no. They didn't... they are fine. I just want you to know that nudity between us should not be encouraged." Gaara tried acting as professional as he could, but was quickly judged by fierce jade eyes. 

Her face was much closer than it had been before, and with a confidence that he hadn't seen from her in a long while. 

"Why? Scared you might find me attractive?" Sakura grinned devilishly. 

Alright, now this was just getting dangerous. Didn't she realize just how much he was actually holding back--?

Well no, she wouldn't. He would never reveal to her or himself just how much he was fighting to keep his hands from pulling her towards him, pinning her down, and kissing her until she gasped for air. Those thoughts were simmering deep under the surface, but he knew they were there, and like the pressure on a volcano he knew they were building. 

"Wouldn't you be disturbed if I did?" The redhead pressed back gently, earning a look of honest surprise for his trouble. He had obviously hit a nerve somewhere in her troubled soul. 

"...I..." The pinkette started, and then stopped herself. Her eyes were focused on his in a frantic daze, as if she herself did not actually know the answer. 

It was not normal for Sakura to be in the dark. She was genius, she always knew the answer to everything, and yet here she was with an almost frightened expression. She looked like a small child, looking to their guardian for the answer to all of life's questions. 

"You don't have to answer that question--" He tried to maneuver out from under her, but she removed her protective hold on herself in favor of keeping him there. 

"No!" The pinkette looked frantic, as if something important was in the balance now. 

She seemed to no longer care about her modesty, and allowed her hands to stay clamped on his toned shoulders. Her head sunk down, and her wet hair slid down to sheild her face from him. 

"I wouldn't mind... I wouldn't... I just... I can't be involved in...." Sakura was breathing heavily, and then he saw her perfect shoulders shaking before she took a strained breath. "Please... don't go..." 

At that moment he couldn't stop himself, and thoughtlessly pulled her to his chest. His arms wrapped around her tightly, and he let her cry against him. 

Her skin was cool from the water and air, but felt silky against his fingers. The way she clung to him had the redhead nearly sighing with relief. He hadn't realized just how much he desired this, just how much he had wanted to hold her so intimately. 

It broke him to listen to her cry, but it also filled him to the brim with fluttering warmth to know she could find comfort in his arms even at her most vulnerable. 

Gaara cursed himself for his foolish heart. This could only end in the worst way, as all his romances seemed to do. 

He could not let himself fall further, tonight would be the last time he did this for her.


	7. Chapter 7

'What am I doing?' Sakura wondered to herself as she clinged to him. 

While traveling on a platform of sand the desert floor was sparkling beneath them, and the ripples in the earth reminded her of millions of sparkling snakes or eels. 

A slight wind had swept her lightly damp hair into her eyes, and she allowed one hand to leave his waist to brush the strands away before holding tightly to him again. He tensed under her hold, making her think she might be causing him discomfort. 

"Sorry... I'll try not to hold on so tightly." The pinkette murmured, but as she went to pull back she felt his hand grasp over her own to keep it where it was. 

"You're fine. It's natural to be afraid of heights." Gaara brushed off her concern, but his voice still sounded tight. 

Something was wrong, but she didn't want to press him for answers he wasn't ready to give. 

The rest of the ride was silent, and he never let go of her hand until they landed quietly on the roof of the kage tower. Even after they landed their walk was quiet, and yet it wasn't completely uncomfortable. They just simply basked in each other's aura until they came to her room. 

"Thank you for the little field trip. I needed that." Sakura turned towards him with a weak smile, and when he returned the same expression she felt something ache inside her. 

'No, he never looks like this. Something is wrong...' Her eyes searched his face, as if trying to figure out a puzzle in the darkness. 

"I'm glad I could ease your heart a bit. Any time you need a break just let me know." The redhead smiled a bit further, and bowed politely before straightening again. "May you have a pleasant evening." 

"Yeah, you too." The second she muttered the words was a moment she regretted. 

Watching him walk away from her with such a strange farewell made her stomach form knots. She should have invited him in, or maybe asked him to go get tea with her from the kitchens, but before she could even think to voice such things he was gone.

With a sigh she decided that sleeping was best, and retired to her room. 

She had strange dreams, dreams of Sasuke leaving her behind at the gates of Konoha over and over again. Each time she watched him walk away she felt more empty, more broken, more useless. 

When it finally got to the point where she was on her knees crying at the gates she noticed someone lying next to her through her blurred tears. 

Gaara was laying there on the ground, looking far too pale to be anything close to living. Her eyes were shaking as she reached forward to cup his frozen cheek, not failing to notice that this was a moment in time back when they were teenagers.

The time when Gaara had died. 

The pinkette looked over to Lady Chiyo, who was shaking her head in dismay. 

"I can't heal him... I can't bring him back..." The old woman started to cry, and Sakura felt every word hammer against her mind. 

She stared at the young man before her, and started screaming her throat raw. The sound was coming out strong, and she wailed her fists on his chest in the hope of restarting his heart by force. 

"NO!!! YOU CAN'T DIE!!!" Sakura was frantic, she couldn't lose him. She just couldn't. 

The screams grew louder, and someone was trying to contain her. They kept trying to soothe her, but she couldn't accept that he was truly dead--

"Sakura... it's okay... it's a dream." The Gaara beneath her spoke gently, and sat up as if nothing bad had happened. "It's a dream. You're dreaming..." 

As she felt him embrace her she melted into his arms, and inhaled his scent deeply. He smelt like tea, herbs, and spices. Despite being such strong scents, all together they mingled into a perfect bouquet that instantly put her heart at peace. 

He was here in the flesh, he was warm, and comforting. This wasn't a dream anymore. With her eyes peeking open she found that she was now sitting up, but still leaning into the man's gentle arms. 

"Gaara..." The pinkette sniffled, and felt his grasp hold her even tighter before he gently rocked her. 

"It's going to be okay. The dream is gone now." She felt him breathe against the top of her head, and mouth his words into her hair. "I won't leave you." 

Sakura started to sob in the crook of his neck, and clung to his frame like a frightened child. He carefully rocked her, and softly hushed her frantic cries while running his fingers through her hair. 

In all honesty she felt like he could touch or move her however he pleased, just as long as she was allowed to hold him like this; that was all that mattered to her. She quieted down in his soothing arms, and listened to him breathe. 

"Here, let's get you back to sleep--"

"Don't leave!" The pinkette began to shake at the thought, and he gave a small yet sad laugh. 

"I won't, but it's best if you lay down." The redhead urged, but she shook her head rapidly.

"But... I don't want to let go..." Sakura's voice cracked from the strain, and she felt him nod in answer. 

"I'll lay next to you then." Gaara murmured gently. 

It was a decent compromise, and she nodded in agreement to it. She didn't even have the mind to find it the least bit indecent. The pinkette laid down on the bed, but when he placed himself next to her she blushed. For some reason having him lay down to face her with his haunting gaze left her at a loss for words, and strangely her body warmed. 

"It's going to be okay, you don't have to be scared anymore." His porcelain hand reached out to stroke her cheek, and when his soft fingers made contact with her skin she ended up trembling. "Nothing bad is going to happen--"

"No, I know... I know you won't try anything." Sakura gave a pitiful laugh. 

Her smile wavered when she noticed his eyes staring at her with an intensity she wasn't prepared for. He ended up blinking rapidly, and then shifted his gaze towards the pillow under his head. 

"I wasn't talking about that..." As his mouth formed a tight line she felt her guilt seep in.

No, of course he wasn't talking about 'that'. How could she say something so ridiculous to him? As if he were actually some sort of threat. 

There was a thick silence between them, and his gaze remained off of her for the entirety of it. She didn't mean to insult him, that was never her intention. If anything she just wanted Gaara to know how much she trusted him. 

The pinkette maneuvered closer to him, scooting a bit lower to rest her head just under his chin. The redhead stayed painfully still even as her arm smoothed its way over the dip in his waist. She pulled herself flush with him, and heard him gulp back a dose of social anxiety. Clearly he wasn't accustomed to cuddling. 

"I'm sorry, Gaara... I just wanted you to know that I trust you." Sakura murmured along his collarbone, not failing to notice how it peeked out beyond his scoop necked night shirt. 

Her hand moved on it's own to clench at the maroon fabric on his chest, and she breathed in his scent deeply. His fragrance was so calming and beautiful; spices, herbs, tea leaves, incense, and intense woody notes left her spinning, but not sick. 

White sage and palo santo too... perhaps he burnt these things during a meditation session. At any rate they felt purifying even after the embers had long since died. Everything about him put her at ease. 

Strong yet soft hands held tight to her smaller frame, and she welcomed the embrace fully. The feeling of his body against her own was not threatening or awkward, if anything she was completely at peace with it. 

Words danced on her tongue, almost ready to escape her clenched mouth when her inner self warned her to stop. This feeling of comfort, need, and desire to be in his presence was screaming at her. It was not normal, and when she had felt this way in the past her usual response was to tell that person that she loved them. While Sakura did love Gaara she wasn't quite sure if it went beyond just a friendly love or not. 

'It's best if you don't even attempt to go further with that. Just stay friends, it is safer this way.' She thought, and decided to leave everything the way it was. 

Nothing needed to change. This was good enough.

\---- ... ---- ... 

Morning came too soon, and her eyes peaked open to the red hue cast on her room. All was still silent, no one was bustling yet outside despite the sun nearing the horizon. Her back felt warm, and as she shifted she brushed against soft skin. 

Looking down she saw a pale arm wrapped protectively around her waist, the larger hand resting comfortably between her breasts to cover her heart. It was such a strange position to be in, and yet she had never felt so protected in her life. 

Sakura owed this man so much, but she couldn't even begin to know how to thank him for his kindness. Her hand went to hold over his own out of appreciation, but the movement seemed to stir him into holding her tighter. 

Gaara sighed against the back of her neck, and maneuvered himself to cuddle her even closer. The only thing separating them now was the fabric of their clothes, other than that every inch of him seemed to be pressed up against her. 

The pinkette didn't fail to notice something crucial, something that made snuggling with the opposite sex somewhat dangerous. She should have considered this fact before asking him to stay, but even if she had thought about it then she felt she still would have made the same choice. 

Sakura shifted once more, and this time he pulled her tightly against him with a small groan. She could feel the firm male part if him pressing up against her backside, and even felt it twitch. Part of her wondered about it, if she pressed backwards would he wake up? Would he move forward in return? Was he truly dead to the world or was he awake?

Before she could think against it her body moved on it's own accord, arching her back to press her bottom against his morning erection. He groaned louder than before, and returned the gesture while nuzzling past her hair to get to her neck. 

She felt warm lips against her flushed skin, his mouth opened to breathe and taste at her creamy flesh while the hand over her heart moved slightly to the left to cup her breast. 

It had been so long, and her experiences in the past were few and far between. The redhead had awoken a desire in her that she desperately wanted to feed--

'This is Gaara, your friend. You need to stop.' Her inner voice chimed, and she widened her eyes at the fact that she had almost lost herself to such a carnal feeling. 

The pinkette roughly moved herself out of his arms, unfortunately waking him in the process as she hopped out of bed. He seemed sleepy and confused, but also completely unaware of what had transpired. 

She decided she would never tell him. 

\--- ... --- ...

First on today's agenda: he had to get rid of those journalists. 

The rag magazine in question was the 'Ninja Star'. They had a ridiculous name, and their sleazy reporters where located in all of the hidden villages. They essentially wrote pieces on important and famous shinobi, but the pieces were more than questionable. They were down right dirty, and evil. 

Gaara walked into the Ninja Star Suna office without anyone flanking him. This was a personal matter, and he wanted to deal with it by himself. However the moment he entered the establishment all of the busy bees stopped their buzzing to outright gawk. It was as if a unicorn had just walked in rather than the Kazekage. 

"K-Kazekage... Gaara..." A young blonde woman at the counter stuttered, and immediately stood up from her chair at the greeters desk. "Lord Kazekage, welcome sir! It is a pleasure to meet you!! I'm a huge fan--!"

"Thank you, miss--" He tilted his head to the side to read her name tag, and made sure to smile as he said it. "Miss Azami. Is your editor in? I would very much like to speak with him." 

"Oh! Y-yes she is!" The girl flushed red from head to toe. "I-I'll tell h-her you're here!" 

'A female editor? Not that it's not common, I just expected such a sleazy magazine to only hire male editors... but I guess women can be just as aggressive as men when the time calls.' He blinked in surprise, but made sure to smile warmly for the receptionist in front of him. 

Obviously this girl had a crush on him, which wasn't surprising considering his fan base, and for the time being he knew that he could use it to his advantage.

She picked up her office phone's reciever and quickly punched in some numbers. She played anxiously with her long blonde hair, and every time she made eye contact with him he made sure to keep his 'game face' on. Each time she looked away with a nervous giggle, and he started to tally how many times she did it. 

It took five giggles before someone picked up, and the girl had talked so fast into the phone he could barely understand what she was saying, and he was standing right in front of her. 

"LordGaaratheKazekageishereyou'renotgoingtobelieveitKikuhe'sabsolutelygorgeousandhewantstotalktoyou--!!" Before the girl could frantically squeal any further into the phone he could somewhat hear a woman shouting on the other end of the line. 

The girl stopped, went pale, and straightened properly. 

"Lord Kazekage Gaara is here to see you ma'am." The blonde spoke robotically, and for a moment both sides went completely quiet. 

He waited for about thirty seconds, and then finally everyone seemed to get back into work mode. 

"Yes ma'am, he's standing right in front of me..." The girl looked up at him and blushed a dark shade. "He says he wants to talk to the editor." 

More talking, and then finally the blonde girl nodded with a big smile. 

"She says she will be with you as soon as possible. Most likely five minutes or so, if you don't mind waiting?" She grinned ear to ear, and her blush continued on her youthful cheeks. 

"I do not mind waiting, be sure to thank her for sparing the time to meet with me." He kept his demeanor suave and polite, and he watched the girl melt in front of him. 

"Y-yes sir!!" She immediately began repeating him word for word into the phone and then hung up the reciever. 

"Miss Azami, have you worked here very long?" Gaara tried making conversation, and the woman awkwardly giggled. 

"Ah-ha... y-yes... I've worked here for two years Mr. Gaara... sir... um... Lord Kazekage. I'm sorry if I'm getting your name wrong--!"

"I respond to all of those terms, so you're not wrong in saying them." The redhead put on a dashing half smile, noting how it made the blonde's eyes grow glazed with admiration. 

"You're... so nice..." Azami was practically zoning out just from looking at him, and he knew he had everything in the bag. 

"Thank you. You're a very nice person as well." He narrowed his eyes kindly before continuing. "Your editor, is she just as kind?" 

The girl blinked for a moment, and snapped out of her romantic daydream. 

"Um... she can be if she likes you, but if she doesn't like you... um..." Azami looked to the side before brushing back some blonde hair. 

"I see, and how might one get on her good side?" Gaara spoke a bit more softly, and in a tone he knew had a certain calming effect on people. It worked flawlessly, as her sweet blush returned. 

"Oh, you'll have no trouble. She's actually a big fan of you too. A lot of the women here really like you--" Just as she was about to probably divulge on the local fan club her editor finally made it out of her office. 

"Lord Kazekage, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" The woman was also young, she wore a red suit jacket and matching pencil skirt, and she had raven hair that waved down to the middle of her back. 

Just as he was about to say something the blonde piped up. 

"Eh?! You took out your bun, Kiku! You never take out your--!" 

"Ha ha ha! Oh Azami, you're so funny! Get back to work." The woman went from delightfully cheerful to intimidating in a millisecond. 

So far he could sum up that this woman was a dominant type, but clearly threw out her feminine side when she had an interest in something, and that something was definitely him. 

"Miss Kiku, was it? It's a pleasure to meet you. As you know I was hoping to speak with you about some of the content of your magazine." Gaara got straight to the point, and watched the woman's smile falter for a moment. "I hope you don't mind the intrusion--"

"Not at all! You are more than welcome here! Please, follow me. We can talk in my office." Kiku lowered her lashes, and gestured him to follow her. 

The redhead wasted no time in shadowing her steps into her office, only to have her turn and shut the door behind them. He also allowed her to usher him to a nice chair that sat kitty-corner from her own with a mahogany coffee table in between. 

"Would you like a refreshment? Perhaps some tea, or coffee?" She walked around the room clacking in her high heels while he studied her mannerisms. 

"I'm fine, thank you." Gaara watched as she strutted to her chair, and with a flip of her jet locks she took a seat to address him properly. 

"You know, I've dreamed of this moment. Meeting you, I mean." The woman crossed her legs in a sinful way, and unfortunately he looked due to the fact that his eyes were naturally drawn to movement. "Ever since I was a girl, actually. You used to be so scary, but then I saw that speech you gave during the war, and I have been a fan ever since--"

"You must have been quite young for that rally. I'm impressed that you got to witness it." The redhead threw in a sly compliment to get in her good graces, and watched the magic develop in his favor. 

"Oh, you flatter me! I was eleven, actually." Kiku smiled knowingly, but with a slight blush. "You were sixteen, and you were very handsome. I think I fell in love with you that day." 

He blinked at that, not believing she would be so forward upon first meeting him. 

"Time certainly changes people, doesn't it?" Gaara tried deflecting, but her lashes lowered even further. 

"Well, you have aged like a perfectly preserved wine. Still as handsome as you were at sixteen." The brunette shook out her hair again, and continued to make eyes at him. "I'm surprised you're not married, or that you don't have a thousand lovers."

There it was, he almost fell for her little trick. It was obvious that she did like him, but there was an underlying goal of getting some sort of story out of him. It eventually made him chuckle. 

"You're very slick, it's no wonder you have this job." Gaara opened up the imaginary curtain to reveal the sly woman behind it, and her eyes blinked in shock. "You're a good actress, perhaps you should consider theater instead of editing a rag magazine--"

"Oh ho! So the beast is out, hmm?" She grinned wickedly, and re-crossed her legs with excitement. "Let me guess, death threats? Going to bury me in a 'coffin of sand' for shedding a bit of light on your secret lover?"

He remained poised, and unflinching despite a cracking sound going off in his head. 

"I think you would like that too much. You seem like that type of woman--"

"Oh? What type of woman would that be?" Kiku leaned forward with a smug expression, and he mirrored it perfectly. 

"The kind that likes men like me. Unpredictable men that can balance on the tightrope between good and evil." He gave her a kind hearted smile, but with the sand from his gourd he reached for one of the older magazines on her coffee table, and grinded it into nothingness. 

Her face paled for a moment, but then a deepening blush took its place. She let out a low hum of approval, which was actually a bit unexpected. 

"God damn, you're good--"

"Of course I am. Now, for the matter at hand." He refused to let her get any further satisfaction, and physically leaned forward to grab the newest edition of the Ninja Star, and waved it in the air. "This 'trash' article you published? You will never put out anything like it again." 

Gaara opened up to the picture of Sakura, and pointed to her. 

"This woman is off limits. If you so much as utter one more incriminating word about her I will shut you down, and I do have the power to do that." The redhead tossed the magazine across the room, and watched as her widened eyes followed it through the air. 

"You can't be serious--" She gaped, and he leaned forward a bit more to stare her down at a closer range. 

"Dead serious. You will be out of a job, and I will make it so you never get the chance to work in this village again. If you hurt the people I care about I will end you. Period." Gaara had a low tone to his voice, and he watched as a shiver went down her spine.

"I don't enjoy threatening people, but I am not incapable of it. You're a fan of mine, yes? Then you should know better than most that I used to crush my victims until it rained blood, and I'll admit that the spray was usually a substantial amount. You would be surprised how much blood you can get out of someone when you grind them up into a fine yet wet powder. The smell is also very unique... " The redhead leaned back in his chair once she began to pale to an ashen shade, just to give her some slight comfort and space. 

"You're... you're insane--" She began, and he laughed. 

"Oh, I was insane, but not so much anymore. Back then I empathized with no one, but today I feel love for a great many people, and it pains me to kill anyone in such a distasteful manner. It is why I want peace to remain between the villages, I enjoy seeing people be happy." Gaara smiled warmly for a moment, but was quick to getting serious again. "However, now that there are people I love there is greater reason for me to protect them. I'm sure you understand how that can be even more dangerous." 

The woman kept her mouth shut, and narrowed her eyes until it made him want to clarify further.

"A knife that is slashed around at random won't always strike true, but a knife that has a strong purpose will hit it's mark no matter the cost." The redhead leaned forward once more, and held her frightened gaze. "Do you understand me?" 

Kiku took a shaking breath, and then nodded quickly. She turned her dark eyes to the floor, and it made him feel a bit guilty. Perhaps he could be a tad more kind seeing as he was about to practically ruin this woman's career.

"Instead of writing these despicable articles, how about you write something a bit nicer? If it helps you can send me some innocent questions, and I can answer them to the best of my ability. That way you can have some content on me that does not necessarily involve my personal life, but you can still make some sales." As he said it her eyes came back up in disbelief, blinking at him in wonder. "Is that alright with you?" 

Her smile grew, and she almost clapped her well manicured hands together. 

"Yes! We can definitely arrange that!" She cheered. 

With a nod he returned her smile, and went to stand. 

"Excellent, I'm glad we could come to an agreement--"

"Um, can I ask you something quick?" Kiku stood up with a more timid expression than earlier, and he nodded in answer. Then she took a deep breath;

"If you're not actually seeing anyone, would you like to get a drink with me some time?"

He balked at that, and for a moment he was unable to find words to combat her ballsy request. Eventually he gave a light chuckle, and with a smile he shook his head. 

"Unfortunately I don't think a romance between a journalist and a political figure is the smartest idea. I will have to regretfully decline. My apologies." Gaara gave a small smile, and she returned it with a disappointed one. 

"Well, shit. I guess I'm out of luck on that one." The brunette laughed, and with a sad smile she ushered him out. 

He could hear the gossipers as he left, and when he bid farewell to anyone who came to see him he didn't fail to hear a small squeal or two as he walked out the door. 

He never imagined he would be so popular with women, and yet he rarely had much to do with them. It was rather funny, if he was being honest. 

All in all the problem had been taken care of, and he would contact Naruto later to tell him that it would no longer be an issue. 

\--- ... --- ... --- 

"So, Gaara called me, and had some good news." Naruto's voice chimed in cheerfully through the phone, and she nearly dropped it. 

"Eh? What did he say?" Sakura tried to remain calm. Her heart was racing thinking that he may have talked about their encounter last night, or how he might have felt about her. 

Did he no longer like her? Was she not cute to him? Did he find someone else--?

"He told me that he talked to the editor of that stupid magazine that published that article about you two, and said that they are going to stop publishing articles about you specifically." The blonde laughed slightly then, and her mind was trying desperately to keep up with the new information. "He said he made a little deal with them in exchange for keeping their noses out of your business, but now Gaara has a bit more on his plate... and will probably end up getting a ton of fans by the end of it--"

"What do you mean by that?" The pinkette pressed for further information, and he laughed. 

"Oh, he's going to be answering questions that they come up with, and I guarantee you his fan base will eat it up." Naruto snickered uncontrollably, as obviously he knew what having a fan club felt like. "Anyways, you should thank him. Apparently he had to pull out a few stops to get them to do it--"

"Oh like what, a death threat?" Sakura rolled her eyes, even though Naruto obviously couldn't see her do it. 

"Nope, he had to threaten AND flirt. Apparently the editor was a woman who was a big fan of his, and I bet she was jealous of you. Luckily for him he knows how to charm when it comes down to it. That guy can convince anyone to do anything, including a massive militia let's not forget!" 

As Naruto continued to blab on about his ever running thoughts, Sakura was left with a few interesting factors: 

First off was the fact that he made the effort to go in and try to fix the issue instead of just letting it slide like most Kage did. It was odd to think that he would even make time to do that for her. 

Second, the sacrifices he was now making to keep her safe from the public, it was so sweet and moving. No one had ever done anything like that for her before, and it made her feel warm from head to toe thinking that he cared so much.

And lastly, he flirted his way through a deal, which had to be the least likely thing for Gaara to do. She was in complete disbelief over it. 

"Gaara... flirting? I don't think it's even possible." The pinkette scoffed, and her friend on the other end of the line stopped his ramble. 

"Why's that so hard to believe? You think he's still socially awkward like he was as a teenager? Sakura, he's a grown man, not a child." Naruto actually scolded her, and while it made her feel guilty she also felt a bit defensive. 

"I've never seen him flirt with anyone, he's usually super professional with just about every woman that walks through his door--!"

"Have you considered that he holds back in front of you, so as not to offend you?" The blonde interjected, and she gasped at the accusation. 

"He does not! He just doesn't flirt! I would know if he did, I would hear about it through the grapevine--"

"Well I heard it, from his very lips that he flirted his way through that ordeal. Accept it." Naruto huffed on the other end, and she huffed as well still unable to believe such a stupid lie. "Why are you getting pissy about it anyways? You already told me you're not getting cozy with him, so what gives?" 

Sakura blushed, and thought of the night before. Yes, she had said she wasn't getting romantic with him, and yet their evening seemed almost heated. She could feel sexual tension the entire time, but she constantly reminded herself how they were trying to remain professional. 

Had she not been married, and had she not just lost her husband... maybe she would consider it, but right now everything was too fresh--

'But last night...' The pinkette bit her knuckle, and then jumped when she heard the blonde calling for her to answer. 

"Sakura? Are you there--?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Sakura groaned, and shook her head at herself. "I guess I just like to believe that he's above stuff like that... sometimes I wish that men were more like women, and didn't think with their dicks--"

"I take offense to that!" Naruto barked, and she scoffed in return. 

"Oh whatever, you're just as guilty! I've heard some things from Hinata, and let me tell you it disturbed me--!"

"I'm hanging up now, tell Gaara I say hi." With a cheerful note the line went dead, and she pulled the reciever away from her ear to gawk at it. 

"Naruto, you bastard!!" The pinkette screamed at the phone despite him having already left the conversation, and slammed it down to hang up.

\--- ... --- ... ---

With a sigh she knocked on his office door. She knew it was late, but she felt that she needed to talk to him about recent events. 

Especially about him going out to fix a problem that mainly affected her, she wanted to thank him for that. 

The door opened, but she wasn't expecting to see Matsuri answering it. 

"Eh? Sakura! Hi! Have you come to talk to Gaara?" The kunoichi smiled brightly, and opened the door further to reveal him sitting pensively at his desk. 

"Ah, yeah. I was hoping to speak with him privately, if that's okay." Sakura gave the other woman a smile, and they both remained polite and friendly. 

"Certainly! It's no issue at all, he's just filling out a questionnaire or something like that." Matsuri giggled, and opened the door further for the pinkette while she entered. "I'll just swing by later, enjoy your chat!" 

The brunette slipped past with a friendly wave, and closed the door behind her. 

Sakura's jade eyes came forward to see him smiling at her briefly before looking back down at his paper. He was no longer wearing his red coat, and his shirt was a plain black one that went to his elbows, and the netted fabric continued on a bit further. Funnily enough his normal well groomed hairstyle was slightly out of place, with different strands swaying into his eyes. 

"Hello Sakura, to what do I owe the pleasure?" His voice sounded nice, she decided. She walked forward towards his desk, wanting to be closer to him. 

"Naruto called me, and told me what you did..." The pinkette blushed at the thought now, and as she came up to the side of his chair she nervously tucked a piece of pink hair behind her ear. "I... I wanted to thank you for doing that... you didn't have to." 

Gaara turned away from his papers then to truly look up at her, and his expression was a bit surprised. 

"He told you, huh? That Naruto, he's such a blabbermouth." He sighed, and shook his head, but smiled all the same. "There's no need to thank me, I should be apologizing for the drama I've caused you--"

"Eh?! No! No... you've been wonderful, truly..." Sakura had to look away then, and began wringing her hands. 

She wanted to ask him, but since she felt embarrassed about it she knew it would come out awkward. 

"Did you... actually flirt with the editor?" The pinkette scrunched her face for a moment after asking, and then shook her head wildly. "Sorry, don't answer that. That is a really personal question--"

"Yes, I did. Although it wasn't anything too intense I assure you." Gaara gave a slight chuckle, and a warm smile. "You seem surprised..."

Sakura turned to blink at him, and for a moment she floundered for words to say. 

"I... uh... yeah, well... I have never seen you do it! It's weird to think about!" The pinkette whined and pouted like a child, and he broke out into a genuine laugh before resting his elbow on his desk. 

"Well you wouldn't, I've never flirted with you, at least not intentionally." His smile stayed, and it was a brilliant thing that left her strangely breathless. 

"Okay, but you don't flirt with anyone else either--"

"So far as you know. I'm usually quite private about it." His eyes narrowed knowingly, and she blushed as a result despite him not actually flirting with her in that moment. "I can see it still bothers you." 

"It doesn't bother me, I just can't imagine it happening." Sakura crossed her arms with a huff, getting him to laugh again. 

Then he went oddly quiet, his smile remained, but it was clear that he was thinking about something intently. 

"Did you change your perfume?" Gaara asked randomly, and it completely threw her off. 

"Um... no... but I did go to the public bathhouse today, and I used some of their products." The pinkette had to look away from him then, as his eyes had become too intense to stare at. 

"Hm, well it's not a bad scent, actually you always smell nice. It's clear you have good taste in fragrances." The redhead spoke in a gentle tone, and it soothed her enough to look back at him. 

He was smiling warmly, then went back to his paper, leaving her terribly curious.

"You like... the way I smell?" Sakura almost giggled over it, and watched him smile again over his paperwork. 

"There was only one time that you did not smell great, and that was when I had to carry you to the hospital. Blood has an overpowering smell, unfortunately." He frowned for a moment, then jotted something down with his pen. 

She felt guilty about it, and with a sigh she allowed herself to lean against his desk with her backside sitting right on the edge. 

"I'm sorry about that... truly... I owe you so much--"

"It's not like you were too heavy to carry, in fact you're quite light." Gaara flashed his eyes up to her for a brief moment before going back to his work. "I'm glad I made it in time, and that you made a full recovery. I would do it again in a heartbeat, so do not trouble yourself on trying to find ways to thank me." 

Once again the pinkette was astounded by his unbelievable kindness. She couldn't even imagine him threatening a fly let alone another human being.

"Thank you, Gaara. You're so sweet." Sakura smiled genuinely, and her heart felt full to the brim with his kind words. 

"I am not always 'sweet', but towards you I prefer to be." The redhead spoke a bit softer, and she scooted over a little further to hear him better. 

"One could say you can be 'salty'." As she giggled his eyes flashed over to her with a mischievous look. 

"Depends on the context, but you're not wrong." Gaara left it ambiguous, but any adult could decipher what he was saying. 

She was just so shocked by it that her mouth hung open in disbelief. 

"Nuh-uh, you did not just say that." Sakura huffed as she continued to be in denial, a smirk spread itself across his lips. "Gaara, no! Bad!" 

She took his porcelain hand, and very lightly slapped the top of it in a mock-scolding fashion. He chuckled at the gesture, and smiled at her with his eyes. 

"I haven't the slightest clue what you are talking about--"

"Don't play dumb! You were just talking about getting head!" The pinkette laughed, and he simply smiled at her. 

"I said no such thing, you came to that conclusion on your own. I am innocent in all of this." The redhead feigned being offended, and she started to giggle uncontrollably. "Your filthy mind has now tainted me, how will I ever recover from your perversion--?"

"You jerk!!" Sakura hopped off the desk, and pushed him by the shoulders with a childish whine.

His chair went rolling backwards, and she had completely forgotten that it moved so she ended up moving with it until it hit the wall behind him. She crumpled unexpectedly at the force, and landed awkwardly in his lap with a laugh. 

"Ah-ha! You see?! You are trying to assault me--!" Gaara attempted to make a bigger joke out of the situation, and she ended up pulling herself up by his shoulders until they were face to face. "--You, madame, are a crazed pervert. I'm calling security--" 

It was so strange, but even as he was joking around with her she couldn't stop staring at him. He was so close now, and even though she knew she should stop herself she couldn't help but find him unbelievably handsome. 

Yes, it wasn't surprising how he had that editor eating out of the palm of his hand. One look into his haunting eyes and you're spirited away. 

He had done so much for her, over and over and over again. She felt something building up inside her, but she didn't know if it was gratitude or something else. Regardless her hands were slipping over his shoulders to link behind his neck. 

"Sakura... what are you doing?" The redhead asked very cautiously, and his cheerful smile fell into a confused expression. 

"I'm...." She didn't know what it was she was feeling, but she knew that she didn't want to be separated from him yet. "I just... wanted to be closer..." 

His eyes blinked at her owlishly at first, but then eventually shut with what seemed like pain. 

"Sakura... we are already very close... any closer and there will be... problems. It's not normal for friends to do these things--"

"Why can't we? Friendship doesn't have any written rules, we can mold it however we want--!" 

"Does that mean I can kiss you?" Gaara had finally derailed her, and she stared into his eyes frantically. "Does that mean I can touch you intimately? If you want to get as close to me as possible it would require me getting under your skin..." 

His porcelain hands went to her hips, and she jolted from the sudden touch. 

"We're friends... and the way you want me to hold you is how lovers--" 

He was cut off, and she was hugging him tightly with a panicked breath like she had been trying not to cry, but that wasn't wrong either; she was desperate not to cry in front of him again.

"Just... stop it... stop talking... let me hold you... please..." Sakura felt herself begin to grow weak, and she clung to him desperately like a life raft. 

The redhead didn't tense, and he barely held her back. With a sigh he relaxed further into his chair, and allowed her to do as she pleased. 

The pinkette nuzzled against him, and clung wherever she could just to have him in her arms. It bothered her that he didn't hold her back, but then again she couldn't blame him. 

What he wanted was a romantic relationship, and what she wanted was simply his platonic comfort. 

"Sakura... you need to let go..." He whispered, and she shook her head. "I know you don't like me that way, and the way you hold me now makes me think otherwise. So please, let go of me before I do something very stupid." 

Her heart shattered in her chest, and she finally put space between them. She couldn't look at him, she couldn't face her shame. 

"Sakura--" The moment he said her name was the moment she had to leave. 

She abandoned him, scrambling to get off and back onto her feet. 

"Sakura, I'm not doing this to hurt you--" 

She turned around without answer, and her violently shaking form rushed frantically to the door. Part of her hoped he would come after her, or call her name one last time, but he didn't. 

He said absolutely nothing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick warning, it does start to get more explicit from this point onward, and not with just our main couple either.

Gaara was breathing hard, sweat dripping down his temples as he finally calmed down after working out his sexual frustrations. 

He hadn't meant for it to happen this way, but unfortunately she was there, and so willing to take whatever he had to give. In fact, she had practically begged him to come back to her room for the afternoon.

The redhead had made use of her again, but felt just as hollow as he always did even though her head was resting lovingly on his chest. He looked down seeing pink hair for a moment in the light of the sunset, only to shake the imaginary vision away to reveal the brunette he had initially taken to bed. 

'I need to move on...' He thought.

Maybe it was time he moved forward in this. Made the proper gentlemanly steps that were expected of people who slept together for a long period of time. 

"Matsuri... what would you say to making our relationship public?" Gaara spoke tensely out of pure nerves, however it wasn't clear to him what he was nervous about--

"And have the magazines write trash about me? No thanks." The brunette laughed, but still had the gall to wrap an arm around his chest. "I think what we have is good enough, don't you? If you make it public I'll get all sorts of backlash from your fanbase. People will think I'm screwing you to get ahead in the political game... it'll just ruin everything." 

Every word she spoke left a sour taste in his mouth, and it made him regret sleeping with her today.

"The council expects me to get married at some point, although they have basically given up since my last marriage attempt. They still seem rather keen on the idea--"

"Then get married. You don't have to love the woman, hell you don't even have to sleep with her if you don't want to. You can just come here, and warm my sheets instead." Matsuri giggled, and nuzzled her face against his chest while his jaw clenched in bitterness. "I like you so much, let's just stay like this. It's good this way." 

He couldn't take it anymore. Gaara maneuvered carefully out of her grasp, and when she started to whine he gave her a kiss on the forehead to keep her quiet. 

"I'm going back to work. I'll call on you if I need you again." He tried to be cold, but she seemed to not mind his aloofness at all. 

"Okay, but if I'm sleeping just wait until morning. We can have sex, and then do breakfast or something." She waved her hand nonchalantly at him, and it pissed him off enough that he refused to say anything else.

Gaara got dressed, and left as quietly as he had arrived.

\--- ... --- ... --- ... --- ... --- 

She was in the middle of teaching her night class when his familiar form showed up behind the crowd in her hospital workroom. No one seemed to notice he was there at first, but she did, and she almost messed up a chakra stitch from her nervousness alone. 

Right now she was working on an injured dog instead of a person. There was no one in need of surgery today, surprisingly, so when a group of children brought in the battered pup she honestly couldn't say no. 

"It's best to work on animals first, I actually started on fish if you can believe that." Sakura smiled to herself as the room chuckled, and when her eyes flicked back to him she could see him smiling as well. 

'He probably just wants to talk to you about what happened. Ugh, just what I need... more stress.' The pinkette began to speed up her process, feeling she had already shown the technique enough. 

Suddenly the crowd really started to lean in on her work, admiring her sudden increase in speed. 

"Eventually you will learn to do this quickly, and speed is of the greatest importance when saving a life. Many shinobi have died on the field due to bleeding out. When you have a warrior with many cuts, and a pounding heart from battle it doesn't take long for them to die from blood loss."

Sakura quickly stitched up the muscle fibers, subcutaneous layers, and outer skin layers of the dog with her chakra. The electrocardiogram gave a more pleasant pace of beats once all the lacerations had been repaired, and with a sigh of relief she looked up at her awe struck audience. 

"I love the sound of a healthy heartbeat. The patient will be just fine with some rest and good nutrition." The pinkette smiled once more, and recieved applause from her class.

She gave light bow, and dismissed everyone for the evening. A few stayed behind to ask questions, and she answered them to the best of her ability all the while trying her best to avoid the redhead who was slowly approaching. 

Unfortunately when she was nervous she tended to clip her sentences, so all of her answers were short and to the point. By the time he got to her everyone had begun to truly disperse. 

Some people had noticed his presence at first, had last minute chats with him before leaving while she finished up preparing the dog for a long rest. She tried to hurry with her work, and when she heard his steps in the silent room grow louder she felt her body move to bolt. 

Curse his sand for keeping her feet in place. 

"I know you're trying to avoid me." Gaara spoke in a careful tone, but it didn't stir her enough to bring her eyes up from the floor. "I just want to talk--"

"That is the exact thing I don't want to do." Sakura forced her chakra through her ankles, and managed to crack the hold on her much to his surprise. 

She got one leg out, now it was time for the other--

Arms enveloped her tightly, and she gasped from the sudden overwhelming warmth she felt. It was instantaneous in the way her arms returned the gesture, and her grip was just as tight. 

Why now? Why do this if he only wanted a physical relationship with her--?

"I'm not looking for anything else... I just need a friend right now... I need you right now." The redhead's voice was almost too soft to hear, but the tone of desperation was loud enough for her to feel. "I need my friend... my best friend... please." 

Her heart pounded violently at the fact that he had given her such a title. Even more so that he outwardly claimed that he 'needed' her. She didn't want to let him down, she cared far too much to let that happen. 

"I'm sorry for avoiding you, Gaara." She started with an apology before holding him tighter. "Whatever I can do to help you I will, okay? I'm here for you." 

He breathed a sigh of relief, and then almost reluctantly pulled away before holding her at arms length. 

"I need to forget my life for a while. Think you can help?" Gaara chuckled at himself, and she felt his pain trickling through the cracks in his smile. 

She could see it. Loneliness, pain, depression, and stress. It aged him in those moments more than time ever could. 

"Want to learn how to heal stuff?" The pinkette laughed, but luckily her energy seemed to be infectious. 

"Alright, teach me." The half-smile that she recieved from him made every inch of her flutter, and while she tried desperately to convince herself that she merely respected him highly there was really more to it than that. 

'I'll confront that later... right now it's not important. He needs me.' 

"Alright, follow me then." Sakura took a step, and realized the sand around her ankles was completely dispersed.

She took him by the hand, and guided him gently over to a round waiting table surrounded with white chairs. She adjusted two chairs to face each other, and motioned him to sit across from her. When he did she noticed they were close enough to bump knees, but that was fine since she needed to be able to touch his hands. 

"Okay, I know you have a mastery in chakra control, and more than just in the use of your sand." The pinkette gave him a clever smirk, and he chuckled. 

"Is that right--?"

"Well, our first ever encounter involved you hanging upside down from a tree by your feet. That proves enough coming from a thirteen year old." Sakura smiled to herself before flipping over his hands to inspect his palms. 

"I've gotten better since then." Gaara laughed, and this time she met his eyes with no sense of shyness. 

"Yes, in more ways than one. You should be proud of yourself." The pinkette nodded before running her fingers across his silky hand, in slight awe over how soft his skin was. "Okay, so you can focus your chakra into your limbs, that's a first. I need you to focus them into your fingertips only, and turn the energy into threads." 

"Are we doing puppetry now?" The redhead laughed, and surprised her when he instantly made threads appear from his fingertips. 

How was he already so advanced when it took her months to master that technique--?

"Kankuro." Gaara blurted out, and her eyes blinked at him owlishly. "He taught me a few tricks. I'm not as skilled as him with puppets, obviously, but I know how it works." 

"Oh? What kind of tricks?" Sakura leaned back, and waited for him to show something, but only recieved an incredulous look for her trouble. 

"Really? You want to see a trick--?"

"I want to see a trick." She reiterated, and he scoffed. 

"Alright... what to do?" The redhead tapped at his lips with his index finger, drawing her attention to his pale mouth. 

Suddenly her index finger was tapping in time with his own, and she could just barely see the string of energy connecting them. 

"Oh, ha ha. You're so funny." The pinkette tried shaking the energy from her finger, but felt her entire hand get caught in the now many strands. "Stop it--"

"You asked for a trick. I call it the spider's web. I can't really control it well." Gaara laughed a bit harder as her hand started flailing about to get rid of the strands. 

When she couldn't get rid of it she tried wiping them off on his coat, but in the process got her hand stuck to the maroon fabric. 

"Oh for heavens sake--!!" 

"Sorry, it's kind of sticky--"

"Don't say things like that!!!" Sakura shrieked while attempting to rip herself away, but only succeeded in pulling him forward towards her lap. 

The redhead placed his hands out to catch himself, but ended up placing them on her thighs. 

"Sorry!" Gaara tried moving away, but ended up pulling her forward once he realized that now one of his hands became stuck to her thigh. 

This was quickly becoming a predicament. 

"Okay, we need to stop, and calm down." The pinkette tried breathing deeply to regain her focus, but it was difficult to ignore his fingers twitching on her thigh. "Oh I hope this was a good distraction for you, because this sucks." 

It took a moment, but eventually they both broke out into fits of giggles. The redhead seemed to find it exceptionally funny, and his smile was brilliant and genuine. 

He was so handsome, truly beautiful inside and out--

"You're really handsome when you smile like that." 

Before Sakura could stop herself it was already out. The word vomit was now hanging between them, and her face had reddened about three shades deep. 

"I... I didn't mean--"

"I understand what you meant, and I thank you for the compliment. You are also very attractive when you smile." He played it off so coolly, but the tension in his hand on her thigh made her think otherwise. "I'll try using my sand to remove it. It's good about absorbing my chakra." 

"Ah, okay." Sakura nodded, and yet she almost wished they could stay stuck like this for a little while longer. 

The sand came, and went. She felt the strands of energy disappear, leaving behind limbs that still refused to move despite being free. 

She didn't push him back, if anything all she could do was stare into his haunting gaze. Two stormy cyan eyes encased in darkness staring into her soul, stripping her of her sanity yet leaving her open to a world of possibilities. 

He wasn't moving away. In fact, it seemed like he was getting closer to her. His expression was curious, and cautious, yet still lidded and dreamy. His eyes were swallowing her up, and his tongue darted out to quickly wet his lips. 

So close now, she could feel his heated breath flaying against her skin.

"Gaara--" 

A soft marble texture grazed her lips right after she whimpered his name. His mouth was just as silky as the rest of him, if not more, and she couldn't contain the urge to purse her lips in return. 

It was such a gentle thing, a truly innocent kiss--

Sirens started blaring in her head, violently waking her up to the fact that this was indeed a kiss. She was kissing him. They were kissing. They were KISSING. 

As her entire body turned to stone he seemed to notice, and carefully pulled away from her. His once dreamy expression faded into worry, and he reached forward to hold her now trembling hand. 

"I.... I apologize... are you okay?" Gaara brushed some pink strands out of her eyes in a caring way, and she answered him with a dumbfounded nod. "It won't happen again, Sakura. Please, forgive me... I don't know what I was thinking--"

"Clearly you were thinking of kissing me." The pinkette made a joke out of sheer nerves, her entire body felt as raw as a skinless chicken. Her heart pounded like that of a rabbit, desperate with the instinct to run away from a predator. 

But Gaara was not some hungry lion laying in wait for his next meal, he was just a man; a man with many thoughts and even deeper feelings. 

"... I---" He cut himself off, showing the strain in his neck as his jaw clenched. Clearly he had more he wanted to say, but was nearly too afraid to say it. "I have made a grave mistake, you are my treasured friend... and I have let my urges for deeper companionship blind me--"

"Deeper companionship?" Sakura interrupted him, confused with what he meant by it. 

Clearly he had a sex life, and had good friends, and family-

'He doesn't truly mean romantic partnership, does he?' The pinkette furrowed her brow for a moment, wondering if it was even possible for Gaara to fall in love with anyone. He had never experienced it, nor had he grown up around it; there was just no way that romantic feelings should have even blossomed. 

Perhaps her 'cultural' and influential view of love was wrong all along. Sure those things influenced how people can act, but perhaps love was an instinctual thing rather than a concept.

"I... it's embarassing..." The redhead turned his face to look away, and the blush to his cheeks flattered him. "I came to find you because you make me feel better, and I was feeling... lonely. I just wanted to be with someone who understands..." 

'He want's a partner.' Sakura felt stinging in the back of her eyes, but she refused to let her tears come through. 

"I... can't be that woman for you..." The second it left her mouth was the moment her heart broke. 

She didn't want to say that to him. That wasn't how she truly felt. 

Gaara gave a small yet pitiful laugh, and nodded his head. 

"I know... and it was wrong for me to even attempt..." The redhead smiled, but it was completely broken to the point where his lip trembled. "It'll be fine. I cherish our friendship, Sakura. I will never compromise it again." 

'No... No! Don't let him leave--!!'

"Gaara--" She tried to say something, but he shook his head. 

"Forgive me, it's best if go. I've got some... papers that still need to be signed." With another broken laugh he moved away from her, and robotically stood up. 

'Stop!! Think about what you are about to lose!! Tell him you lo--'

"Goodnight, Sakura." With a curt nod he turned around, and started to walk away. 

'SAY IT--!!!'

The door closed behind him, leaving her completely alone. 

Luckily her only patient in the room was a dog, because she had never been so quick to slump onto the surface of a coffee table to sob frantically. 

"I'm such an idiot!" 

\--- ... --- ... --- 

Days came and went while he ran on autopilot. She refused to come by any more, and he was completely heartbroken over it. 

'It's not like you were dating her.' Gaara spoke to himself inside his head as he stamped another paper. 

"This is just a rejection. You're used to rejection... it's not a big deal." This time he spoke to himself aloud, and signed off a packet of documents. "It's not a big deal." 

The room was so quiet, and although he was tired he also didn't want to go back to his empty room... in his empty bed. 

Empty. That's all he felt. 

A knock at the door startled him, and he opened the door easily with his sand. Matsuri came in wearing her usual smile, and he mirrored it without feeling. 

"Hey handsome, I hear you've been working too hard. Kankuro told me to tell you to take a break--"

"My workload is none of his business." The redhead looked down at his paperwork, but at the sensation of delicate fingers on his chin he managed to look up into the set of familiar eyes. 

"I can tell when you're stressed, you shouldn't lie about it." Matsuri ran her fingers through his already messed up hair that he had been tugging at for hours. "Come back to my place... we can have a sleepover." 

Gaara looked away from her then, and sighed. 

"I'm not really interested." The redhead closed his eyes before resting his forehead on his hand. 

Suddenly her hands were on his belt, and he decided to peep through his fingers out of curiosity. She smiled up at him, now kneeling on the floor while unfastening the buckle.

"I'll make it all better, babe. Just leave it to me." 

As much as he didn't feel like it at first, Gaara also couldn't deny that he was still a man, and getting oral wasn't something that should be turned down unless in dire circumstances. 

He relaxed, played absentmindedly with her hair until the familiar wave of orgasm eventually came, and while it was nice it still wasn't what he needed. 

So he went back to her place for the evening, and took his frustrations out on her body for the entire night. Yet when the morning sun creeped in through her bedroom windows he still felt empty. 

Nothing was fixing it, and the feeling wouldn't go away. 

Once again, he wished it was Sakura laying next to him. Someone who seemed to appreciate him for who he really was, and wanted to know how he felt every second that they were together. Someone who relied on him in times of grief, but shared her happiness with him without thought. 

His hand clawed over his heart...

"It hurts... but I'm not bleeding..." He murmured before spacily getting up for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to review on these chapters. I take reviews very seriously, and they help me to keep writing. (My love language is 'words of affirmation', y'all. Dont be scared to even just say "this sucks donkey dicks" lol)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who left comments, this one is for you <3 
> 
> Also a bit of a warning, Matsuri is somewhat OOC. However, she's mostly being used for pushing plot unfortunately. Not going to lie about that, and sorry for any Matsuri lovers out there. I like her as a character by herself, although not much is really there to work with for her as we rarely see her, so I took the liberty of making her OOC for this fic just because she's quite pliable. So yeah, asking forgiveness ahead of time lol.

"So, are you screwing her?" 

Those words had ripped him away from his work almost instantly, staring into his former pupil's gaze incredulously. 

"I'm sorry... what?" The redhead furrowed his brows with confusion, and the expression only deepened as she tossed Sakura's file onto his pile. 

"Every day this file is on your desk, and with everything that's been in the news I kind of have to wonder..." Matsuri gave him a knowing smile, and traced Sakura's pink hair on her photo identification. "You have some sick taste. She's recently widowed, isn't she--?" 

"It's not like that. We are just friends." Gaara sighed, and straightened the pile he had been working on. "I've been keeping a close eye on her due to her mental health. Sasuke's death put her into a place very few recover from, and I've been determined to make sure she stays safe, and healthy." 

There was a silence between them as he allowed the woman to digest that information. However, he refused to look at her, and instead hyper focused on his work. 

The photo was suddenly nudged into his view, and two arms draped around him from behind. 

"You don't think she's pretty?" The brunette purred next to his ear, oddly making his hairs stand on end. "Personally, I think she's stunning--"

"Good for you." The redhead huffed, and tried moving past to get back to his work only for the photo to follow him. 

"I've been thinking... maybe we could invite a third party to our slumber parties? You have a lot of energy, and another girl could totally take a load off my shoulders." Matsuri kissed his cheek as his entire form froze up at the mention of her little idea. Judging by her giggle she could feel him tensing up. "She's gorgeous, and I wouldn't mind playing with her a bit... what do you think? Should we ask her--?"

"Absolutely not." Gaara stood up abruptly, knocking Matsuri back slightly making the woman yelp and sour. 

"The hell, Gaara? It was just a suggestion--"

"It was a sickening suggestion. She is not well, and we would be taking advantage of her misfortune for our own perversion. That is disturbing, and wrong, Matsuri."

The redhead was instantly unnerved, and slowly becoming more aware to just how selfish his former pupil could be. How could she not realize the gravity of what she suggested? Was she truly that blind? Or did she just not care? 

"My bad, I figured she might be lonely so I thought maybe a hook up would bring a little excitement back in her life. Yeesh." The brunette rolled her eyes, and sat on the edge of his desk to watch him pace around the room. 

He knew she was watching him, and he had to fight to not let a blush form on his cheeks less she get the wrong idea. He absolutely disapproved of the idea, however the visual was now unfortunately stuck in his retinas. 

"At any rate, you fuck like a animal in heat, I'm going to need someone else to tag in--" 

"We'll stop then." Gaara murmured without even thinking, despite the fact that he had done the deed with her just last night. It was almost like a no brainer to him, and funnily enough he couldn't believe he didn't end it sooner. 

"You... you're serious? You want to end it?" Matsuri hopped off the desk to walk over to his side, but he avoided looking at her in the eyes. 

She tried desperately to make eye contact, but when he refused to give it to her she gave off a small huff. 

"Fine. Be that way. I'll see you when you're actually in the mood, which I assume will be sooner rather than later." She fluffed her brown hair with an irritated sigh, but despite her unhappiness with the situation he was beginning to feel at ease just by having her leave. 

No, it was time for him to stop the games, and celibacy was beginning to look more and more appealing by the day. 

\--- ... --- .... ---- ...

Time had passed. The rumors had died down, especially since she hardly ever saw him anymore. 

They were so distant now, and naturally she assumed it was her fault. She went over it in her head a thousand times about how she had basically thrown herself at him, expecting him not to react. She was too comfortable with him, and she even pushed the envelope too far. 

Then he made a move, the riskiest move someone could take. Yet she still felt like that was her fault too.

Did she not realize that he was a man? That these things weren't acceptable? When he had made it clear for her to see she almost didn't know what to say, and yet when he visited her at hospital they seemed to go right back into the swing of things. 

Walking down a path they really shouldn't tread, and yet it seemed so natural. 

Sakura could see it in his eyes, that shame and discomfort as well as an admission to fancying her. Yet, she didn't want him to be ashamed, she didn't want him to deny how he felt either, but for her to say that to him would have opened a whole can of worms. 

It would make her open to more words, more touches, and more accidental kisses...

And she couldn't deny that she found him handsome too, or the fact that she enjoyed his presence far too much--

"No!!" The pinkette dropped her files from the hospital on the living quarter's hallway floor, and started smacking her hands against the wall in frustration. 

It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair. Her body slinked to the ground just meters away from her bedroom door, and she gave out a heartbreaking cry. She didn't want to feel this way about him, not when she still had Sasuke's death weighing on her shoulders. 

But Gaara made those feelings pass by easier, and his warmth comforted her when no one else could, but she had ruined it by being too forward with him. She had destroyed everything. 

"Sakura?" A feminine voice had her turning, and she saw the familiar face of Matsuri staring down at her. "What's wrong? Are you okay--?"

"I'm fine... just dealing with some stuff..." Sakura hid her pain in an instant, and shook her head of the matter. 

Suddenly she was being hoisted up, even though she didn't ask for help. The brunette gave her a knowing smile, and patted her shoulder gently. 

"You don't have to hide from me, I'm not going to hurt you. C'mon, let's go grab some dinner and you can tell me all about it. I've got time." Matsuri smiled ear to ear, and the pinkette was instantly comforted. 

She nodded in agreement, and allowed the brunette to guide her. 

'Matsuri is such a nice woman.' Sakura thought. 

\--- ... --- ... ---

"I'm sorry for your loss." Matsuri grabbed her hand from across restuarant table, and Sakura was warmed by it. "I can't even begin to imagine losing a spouse..." 

The food came, and they both put the conversation on hold to address their meals. Sakura quietly ate her dinner, wondering if Gaara was eating now as well without her. 

Their meetings were rare, maybe three times a week if even that, and only because she needed to report in. Every time he couldn't fully look her in the eyes, and his smile was clearly faked. 

"So, I haven't seen you in a while. What have you been up to?" The pinkette tried changing the subject, and the woman across from her seemed pleased. 

"Recently did some political missions! Lord Gaara has been having me go out of the Land of Wind a lot to the other villages as a representative. Temari used to do that for him, but now he has entrusted that task to me." The brunette smiled happily as she munched on her tempura, then took a generous drink of tea. "It's rough being away so often, but I know it helps him a great deal--" 

"Still in that groupie phase, huh Matsuri?" Sakura laughed as she too ate her meal, but the blushing response she got told her that something else might be going on. 

'Heh, some crushes never die--'

"Well, sure. He's my sensei, my leader, and I care about him deeply. Even though he's come so far there are times when he can show his weakness too. He can trust me." Matsuri played with her napkin, and for a moment the pinkette felt almost envious of her. "I like to be there for him... in any way he needs." 

Something about the brunette's sentence felt off, and it left a curious taste in Sakura's mouth. Her gut told her not to pry further, but there was something wrong; something she needed to figure out.

"It almost sounds like you love him." Sakura twisted the knife a bit, and got a flustered response for her trouble. 

"Ah, well... I sort of do, but its complicated. I'm not really the type of woman who could handle being a Kazekage's wife anyways, it would be waaay too stressful for me. Hell, even a public relationship would be too much, and I know he wants something like that. It'll suck if he finds someone he actually wants to settle down with, but until then I don't mind tending to him." 

That last part had the pinkette going stiff all over. What did she mean by 'tending to him'? Were they more than just friends? 

Her heart was pounding, and her blood felt like it had been running hot. What was this?

"Tending to him?" Sakura blurted out the question, and watched once more as the girl across from her blushed. 

There was an ominous silence, and Matsuri tried distracting herself with her food. 

"Taking care of his needs... you know..." The brunette giggled anxiously, but it was enough evidence for the pinkette to put the pieces together. 

'Gaara... is sleeping with her...' Her heart began to clench at the thought, and she felt a sudden wave of nausea come over her. It was very similar to the times that someone would ask if she and Sasuke were separated since he had been away for so long. 

'That night when I went to see him in his office, Matsuri had been there... were they about to...' The realization dawned on her, and the sickness inside her grew to the point that she had to put her fork down. A cold sweat had broke out across her skin, and her mouth went dry. 'Is that why he didn't want me around that night? Why he needed me to leave?!'

The wondering killed her, but this time it felt like torture. She could almost see it happening in her head--

"I see, have you taken care of any 'needs' lately?" Sakura faked her emotions, outwardly teasing the girl while keeping her panic in check. 

Little did she know that this was going to be a huge mistake. 

"Well, when I first came back he wasn't really wanting 'it' from me, but he's really up in the air with that kind of stuff. However, just yesterday we had a really nice evening together, and he was really 'affectionate'--" 

The pinkette felt sick. The room started to spin as her temperature boiled over, and dropped at the same time. 

"--Sometimes he can have this passionate side to him, and it's so... powerful. In public he's mature and respectable, but behind closed doors... man, he can really change! I mean, he doesn't mess around often so I guess it builds up, but obviously he's been 'on edge' since I didn't get hardly any sleep last night. That man has the sexual stamina of a monster--"

She was going to vomit if she didn't end this now.

"Hey, I actually have a lot of paperwork I need to do. Here's the money for my portion. I'm sorry, but I have to go!" Sakura packed up so quick that the brunette hardly had time to process what was happening before even saying goodbye. 

"See you later then!" Matsuri's cheerful call went on deaf ears, and the pinkette nearly ran out of the establishment. 

\--- ... --- ... --- 

It was a flash, but from his view out of his office window he saw a woman with pink hair run full speed inside the building. Even in the dark her hair couldn't be hidden, and his anxiety had gone from zero to sixty in an instant. 

Gaara moved to get to the door of his office, and heard the sound of feet running past, as well as a far too familiar sound--

Crying, only this time it was frantic rather than mourning. Now he was truly concerned. 

He opened the door to see her still running down the long hall, and in his panic he shouted out her name. 

"Sakura!" 

The pinkette stopped dead in her tracks, and even from a distance he could see her visibly shaking. At first he was cautious to approach, but when she slumped to her knees on the floor he felt his feet begin to move subconsciously. He pressed onward to get to her side as quickly as possible, but when he got closer she hid her face from him. 

"I-I'm f-fine... it's fine... " Sakura trembled and squeaked, heaving her breaths through shaking sobs. 

It was a mistake to leave her alone for so long, he decided. So with a fresh resolve he placed his hand out before her in an offer to take hold of it. 

"Let's get you to your room--"

"I don't w-want to..." The pinkette shook her head wildly, and he took the time to empathize with her. 

He got down to her level on the floor, and tried leaning forward to see her face. His voice was calm, and gentle. 

"Where would you like to go? It's not safe to break down out here, we don't know who may be watching--"

"And that would be so horrible for you, wouldn't it?! Such a scandal for you to be seen comforting me--!!"

"Sakura..." Gaara watched wide eyed as the woman before him turned her eyes in an instant, her hand reared back to smack his own hand away. 

"GET AWAY---!!" Sakura shouted as she swung, but then stopped mid strike. Her eyes stared into his shocked ones with fear, and shame. He could see something breaking inside of her, but he had no clue what it could possibly be. 

Her eyes turned sad, and tears began to fall from them. 

"I'm not a h-happy person... y-you should forget m-me...." The pinkette looked to the floor, and allowed her tears to start puddling beneath her. "I'm... so sorry.... this was a mistake." 

His heart couldn't stand the sight. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her, and be there for her. 

Yes, he had been falling for her desperately, but now it had gotten to a point that he no longer cared if she didn't want him back. All that he could think about was getting her off of that cold, hard, sandstone floor and in into his warm embrace. 

"I don't understand, Sakura. You haven't done anything wrong--" He tried to reason, but she only continued to break further.

"I came t-to Suna knowing that you would c-care for me.... and I took it too far... my heart took it too far..." Sakura shook her head rapidly, then grabbed both sides of her temples. "I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!!" 

Gaara was still having a hard time understanding her, but he could tell that it had something to do with their relationship. Something deep down told him that there were many things being held back, and that she was uncomfortable voicing them to him. He needed to reassure her that nothing would change, that he would still be there when the smoke cleared. 

He would be there no matter what; unconditionally.

"Come with me, we can talk in my room if you like, but no matter what else comes to pass during our conversation just know that I will not abandon you. I swear it." The redhead placed his arm around her back, and with both of them pushing they were able to stand properly. "You can tell me anything, Sakura. I will never judge you." 

She went with him willingly, and he was eternally grateful for it.

\--- ... --- ... --- 

"You're sleeping with Matsuri." 

His blood ran cold from the accusation, stilling his hand as he attempted to pour them both a glass of water. The liquid splashed over the side, and in a panic he quickly placed the jug of water down to prevent him from spilling more. 

"And what gave you that idea--?"

"Don't play dumb. I talked with her, and she trusted me enough to say that you 'kept her up all night'." Sakura took a deep breath, and white knuckled the maroon and tan bedding underneath her. 

The redhead knew that coming clean was best, but he had never been confronted about something like this before. Usually people minded their own business. However, Sakura was a different matter. Obviously this fact about his private life seemed to bother her, and he was invested in finding out why.

"I won't deny that it happens on occasion. However, I hope this isn't what actually upset you--"

"It is." The pinkette interjected, and he clenched his jaw as a result. 

Gaara knew he was about to open pandora's box, but something was begging him to do it. He needed to know how she truly felt, no matter the cost. 

The redhead turned to face her, looking the kunoichi over to examine her obvious distress. With a sigh he finally walked forward to hand her the glass of water that he had graciously poured. 

"May I ask why?" Gaara pressed with a great carefullness to his tone, watching with intrigue as her watery jades turned away from him. 

She shifted on the edge of his bed, fiddling with her glass. 

"I... don't like it... I don't want you to... do that..." Sakura groaned at herself, and place one hand over her face. "I just... I don't want you to... it hurts to think about--"

"Sakura." The redhead placed his glass down on the bedside table, and sat down on the bed next to her. He kept his tone calm, and caring. "Are you jealous of Matsuri?" 

Her blush answered his question before she could even think to do it, and despite the precarious conversation he couldn't help but find a smile from it. 

"It's alright if you are, I'd rather you be honest with me." Gaara patted her shoulder gently, then felt her tense underneath his touch. In an effort to keep her from bolting he removed the appendage, and gave her some space. 

She fiddled with her glass once more, and remained with her eyes to the sandstone floor. She bit her lip, then finally took a plunge. 

"I... think so... I don't know why... it just bothered me so much..." The pinkette took a long drink from her glass until it was completely drained of water. Without skipping a beat he took the glass away from her shaking hands, and placed it on the nightstand with his own lonely glass. 

"If it truly brings you discomfort I will stop participating in such activities." The redhead stated it without even a second thought. 

It was not difficult for him to abstain from sex, he had done so for very long periods of time. If he was never allowed to do it again he wouldn't even bat an eye at it. Yes, it was nice, but he felt nothing in those moments, just physical release and some closeness during. However, afterwards he usually felt more lonely than when he had started, so the idea of giving it up wasn't so bad. 

"Gaara, no! No! I can't have you do that, it would be so wrong!" Sakura shook her head wildly at him, then took his hands into her own. "Please, I just... maybe try to be more discreet... tell Matsuri that I don't want to know... I can't take something like that away from you--!"

"It's not an issue, truly. The fact is that it doesn't provide much for me anyway." The redhead gave her a reassuring smile, and closed his pale fingers around hers. "I know that you don't want to burden me, I understand that, but please understand that I care about you just as much as you do me." 

She quickly donned a look of astonishment, but before she could say anything he continued. 

"I refuse to cause you pain. While I'm flattered by your feelings I also can't accept making you cry, it is the opposite of what I wish for you." Gaara gently wiped away a tear with his thumb, staying warm with his motions as her eyes widened in shock. "No more tears for my sake, okay? My heart can't handle the sight." 

The pinkette remained unblinking, her thoughts unavailable to him as her jade orbs pierced through his soul. Her feminine hands left his pale ones, reaching up to place them on his porcelain cheeks. Her palms were warm, and soft...

"Gaara, has anyone ever kissed you deeply?" Sakura seemed to be in a daze, and for a moment the question didn't register. 

However, when it finally did he was left a bit awkward and fumbling for words. 

"Uh... yes--"

"Truly kissed? Kissed like you were someone's entire world?" Her pink brows furrowed as she said it, and a pained look appeared on her features. 

He couldn't answer that question, as he honestly didn't know. Was he ever someone's entire world? He seriously doubted it, otherwise he would certainly be married by now. Although, he could say that he was Shinki's whole world at the moment, but he knew that the love between parent and child was not what she was querying about. 

"No... I have never experienced anything like that." The redhead answered honestly, and in his truth he found pain. Pain over the fact that he would never experience such a thing when he wanted more than anything to know love in all its forms. 

"I'm so sorry." Her heart seemed to break once more, and he didn't know if he could handle it--

Then it happened. It was so fast that he didn't understand how or why, but it did. Her lips were pressing firmly on his own, and her arms slid tightly above his shoulders. 

For the first time he didn't know how to hold her. Everything was going haywire in his brain, but eventually his instinct to enclose his arms around her waist and back took over, and he was grateful for it. 

Her kiss was tingling, unlike anything he had ever experienced. Most kisses he had participated in were either shy pecks, or passionate ones. Both he appreciated greatly, but this kiss was different. 

The hold of this kiss was desperate. Not for lust, or for comfort, or even for pleasantry; it was desperate for communication. 

'See how much you mean to me.' It said, and he could feel the words thrumming through every cell of his physical form. His arms gripped tighter to her smaller frame, and he felt the urge to let her have every inch of him down to the last strand of his red hair. 

The way she pressed herself to him had him imagining her putting a beautiful glass heart in his trembling hands, begging him not to drop it. He wanted to reach into his own chest to return the favor, he wanted to give her his crackled and chipped soul that he had repeatedly glued back together. He wanted her to have everything, and he wanted everything from her at the same time. 

His lips pressed back, and one of his hands slid into her hair to keep her from pulling away should she feel the urge to do so. He couldn't have it end, not yet, just a while longer. 

He was frightened of it being his last kiss from her, and so he clung to her a bit more desperately than before. 

Sakura's lips parted, and he nearly rejoiced before furthering what they had started. Her tongue was not shy, and it raked over his own in a comforting way. He was starting to tremble, his hands shaking as he absorbed the deepening kiss like a drink of cool water. 

The world was in his hands, and he was so incredibly frightened and invigorated by it--

Suddenly the pinkette pulled away with sharp breaths, her hands had apparently moved to his neck and scalp like his had.

Gaara watched her through hazy eyes, noticing emotions pass her face too quick for him to decipher. He didn't care, all he wanted to do in that moment was to pull her back into his embrace and keep her there until morning. To keep her safe, and to secure his heart with her. 

"It's okay..." The redhead murmured, and as she attempted to turn her face away he gently grasped her chin to turn her back to look at him. "Sakura..." 

Gaara leaned in to capture her lips, and once again their arms seemed to find their way around each other's bodies or in each other's hair. It didn't matter how he was holding her anymore, what mattered was that he held on tight. 

It was different this time, more accepting and eager. Her hands were beginning to paw at him, like a cat begging for attention. He didn't dissapoint. 

The redhead didn't realize what he was doing until he had done it, and it was probably a stupid mistake on his part. His instinct told him to lay her down, to hover over her dominantly, and hold her captive in his kiss. However, the second he had pressed her down was the moment the kiss was broken, and her eyes looked wildly into his own. 

He felt instantly guilty, and turned his face away from her. 

"Forgive me... I didn't mean to--" Gaara bit his tongue before he could say anything stupid, and continued to avoid her stripping gaze. "I had no plans of pressuring you... please believe me--"

"I believe you." Sakura murmured, and he felt her hand brushing away his now messy red hair from his eyes. "I just don't know what's happening anymore."

"The feeling is mutual." The redhead gave a breathless laugh, and finally turned back to address her. "What is happening here?"

Jade eyes took him captive, and before he knew it he was leaning in again to kiss her. Each time she accepted it more and more, and this time he felt one of her legs cross over his hip. 

As much as that intrigued him he knew there would have to be a stopping point for them. There was such a thing as too far when considering their current relationship. Yet he also couldn't find it in himself to stop what was happening. Deep down he truly desired to have her in the most despicable way, but he also treasured what they had together, and he didn't want to ruin anything between them. 

Gaara broke the kiss, but remained a hairsbreadth away from her lips to breathe. 

"Sakura, I think... we should... slow down..." As he spoke his lips would brush against her own, prompting her to lean up to catch them. During these moments he was unable to contain himself, and would match her kiss for kiss. 

"Okay..." The pinkette murmured against him, and hummed when he pressed further against her mouth. 

The redhead couldn't get ahold of himself, he was completely lost in whatever emotion she had forced out of him. His tongue slipped inside her mouth, once again adding that strange fire to everything they did. 

Gaara soon felt her other leg wrapping around him, pulling him closer until he was perfectly nestled against her. He could feel the intense warmth of her body on him, alerting him in the most common way. 

However, it was only a matter of time before she realized just how much she affected him, and as she quickly broke their kiss it seemed his time had run out. 

"Maybe... we should stop..." Sakura gave a panting laugh, but he accepted it with grace. 

"I'm sorry, I can't really control everything." The redhead also let out a small laugh, albeit slightly embarrassed. Thankfully she had a good sense of humor. 

"Well, it just means you find me attractive. I'm truly flattered--" 

"I wish there was a way that I could tell if you found me suitable or not. Women can conceal such things much better than men can." Gaara pressed himself up, and hovered a decent ways above her with genuine smile. 

"There are ways, however we'll have to see if you'll ever be allowed to figure that one out." The pinkette narrowed her eyes knowingly, yet still turned her face to the side with a coy smile. 

Obviously he understood what she meant, but like she had stated it was far too soon for him to even attempt to get under her clothes to check. 

There was an awkward silence for a moment, and he finally rolled off of her to sit on his bedside. With his hands on his knees he began tapping his fingers along his kneecaps, preparing himself for his next set of words. 

He took a deep breath.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow?" The redhead cleared his throat, but tried to act mature about asking her out properly. However, she didn't seem to find it awkward at all. 

"Sure, I haven't seen Kankuro and Shinki in a while so it would be nice to--"

"No, forgive me... I meant have dinner... just us." Gaara tried taking a deep breath with that one, but still found it utterly strained in his throat. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, and he had no clue on how to handle himself. 

"Like a date?" Sakura sat up then, and from the corner of his eye he could see her staring at him. 

"Ah... well... I figured with the kissing..." He swallowed hard, and attempted to straighten. "It was very emotionally charged... I've never been kissed like that." 

The silence that followed had him nearly breaking a sweat, and he finally had to turn to address her properly. 

"Yes, Sakura. I'm asking you out. Would you have dinner with me tomorrow night?" The redhead was a bit more stern with his approach, and while he thought he did a decent job he felt immediately discouraged when she started to laugh. "Sorry, I realize it's a ridiculous request--"

"No! I liked it... it was very cute." The pinkette glanced shyly to the side, then finally nodded. "If it's private... then sure. I'd love to have dinner with you." 

He blinked at her, for the first time in his life he had actually asked someone out on a date, and it left him dumbfounded that she had said yes.

There were times before where he had wanted to ask out Shijima, and even once or twice with Matsuri, but the timing never felt right. 

This time was different, this time he couldn't let Sakura slip through his fingers. He couldn't miss this chance, not when he cared for her so much. For once in his life he wanted to be selfish, and he thanked the heavens that she indulged him just this once. 

"You seem... surprised that I said yes..." The pinkette tilted her head out of curiosity, and the question brought him back down to earth. 

"Ah... yes. I suppose I am. I am used to rejection, and dissapointment. I have naturally come to believe that it would always be that way. It's why I rarely chase after the things I truly want." Gaara divulged something deep about himself for once, and to his astonishment she seemed to drink it in eagerly. 

"If you thought I was going to reject you then why did you ask?" The question was in no way condescending, rather it was completely honest. 

He shyly turned his eyes away, and brushed some of his red hair behind his ear. 

"I had to take that risk. You are someone that I do not wish to grow apart from. On the contrary, I wish for nothing more than to get closer to you." The redhead nodded to himself, then tensed when he heard her sniffle. 

Gaara turned his head to see her crying again, but this time he knew that it had nothing to do with sadness. He scooted closer to her, and placed a reassuring arm around her shoulders while she burried her face into his collar. 

He let her cry for as long as she desired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a forewarning there will be a lot of drama, I'm going almost full soap opera here so... yeah. Stay tuned? And please review, I enjoy seeing them, truly.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starts getting a little saucy here, just an fyi. From here on out just be prepared for the sexual content to continue getting more extreme.

  
"You... you're... WHAT?!"

Sakura pulled the telephone away from her ear, and rubbed the now irritated area. 

"Please don't be like everyone else and get upset--" The pinkette began, but the blonde woman on the other end started laughing hysterically. 

"LIKE I'D EVER!!! This is awesome!!" Ino cheered through the reciever, and Sakura let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. 

Ino was her best female friend in the whole world, and she knew she could always rely on her to keep her secrets. Despite them once being rivals, their relationship now was like that of sisters. Her opinion of the situation at hand was very important. 

"It's been almost a year, Sakura. You've been talking with Gaara since day one. He's really been there for you, and to be honest I don't think there's a better guy out there. Everytime you got off the phone with him it was like you were yourself again, and that is saying something." 

The pinkette couldn't stop herself from blushing over the fact that someone noticed how she felt before she did. Well, there was always that little voice in the back of her mind telling her that she truly liked him, but she ignored it out of guilt and remorse. 

She had cried so many tears for Sasuke. In fact just about all of her freetime involved her crying over him. He had gone about ignoring her, teasing her, abandoning her, running away, attempting to kill her and the entire village, and even when he was dropped of the charges he still chose to wander... and wander... and wander...

She had chased after him always, and he indulged her for only a short time before disappearing again. Leaving her to raise their child by herself. Never coming home. Never writing. He was never there...

Then when he finally came home, and spent time with them he had to go and die. 

All of that pain was for just a few sweet moments. They meant everything to her, but she also realized that there was nothing more she could do with Sasuke's ghost. Her anger, and sadness no longer meant anything because there was nothing more to do but move on. 

Most women would mourn their husband for years before finding someone else, but Sakura had already mourned for Sasuke over the span of her entire life. It was done, and it was time for her to find a happiness that would leave her fulfilled instead of always in tears. 

A happiness that was unconditionally present, for once in her life. 

"Helloooo? Billboard brow--!?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm here. Sorry, I zoned out." The pinkette giggled slightly, and sprawled out on her bed. 

"I want deets! Have you guys been hooking up or--?"

"No! We've just been hanging out a lot... but then I had heard he was fooling around with someone..." Sakura started to feel a bit warm in her face, but it was only because she was still a bit bitter over it. 

"He what?! Oh no, is he actually a player--?" 

"No, it's not that bad. It was just sort of a mutual loveless thing he had with someone, I'm not naming names." Sakura rolled onto her stomach, and began drawing circles on her comforter. "I found out about it from the woman he was sleeping with... and for some reason I was just so upset about it. I was freaking bawling, even though we had never even done anything romantic together. He wasn't playing me... I just sort of accidentally fell for him... and finding out he was sleeping with someone really hurt." 

"Oh yeah, I feel that one hundred percent. It's a horrible eye opener." Ino chimed in, making the pinkette feel validated. "So I guess you talked about your feelings with him then?" 

"You could say that... he kind of found me in the hall sobbing like an idiot, and took me back to his room to talk it out. I told him that I didn't like the idea of him sleeping around, and that if he was going to do it he and his partner should be more discreet. Then he told me that he was going to stop all together--"

"Woah! That's a bit extreme!"

"I know, right?! I was blown away... and then he told me that he cared too much about me to do anything that would make me uncomfortable or cry... so he had no problem giving up his sex life just so I could be happy..." Sakura felt completely breathless from the memory, no one had ever done something so selfless for her, and it made her feel light as a feather while also forcing her heart to race. 

It were as if just reminiscing of her times with Gaara made her fall for him all over again.

".... Please tell me you fucked him after that--"

"No, I'm not that easy." The pinkette hissed, and as she heard the blonde scoff a smirk started to spread across her face. "However, I gave him the best kiss of his entire life. We made out for a while--"

"EEEEEE!!! YES!! I knew you had it in you!! I'm so proud of you!" Ino squealed through the phone, and could be heard clapping her hands excitedly. "Ooo, you got it baaad~! You want some Kazekage 'D'--!"

"Ugh!! No!! We are just dating right now! We're not jumping into a physical relationship yet." Sakura started twirling her hair, vaguely beginning to feel a teenage nostalgia coming on. "We're having dinner together tonight, kind of a test run. He's never actually 'dated' before, and you know... now that I think of it, neither have I... Ha ha wow..."

"You both deserve a real romantic relationship. Enjoy being normal for once!" 

"Ha! Nothing we do is 'normal', but that's fine by me. I'm just excited to finally let everything flow the way it's supposed to. I'm going to do whatever feels natural, and take my sweet time enjoying whatever this is." 

The pinkette turned onto her back and giggled lightheartedly for the first time in ages. She finally felt at ease with herself after such a long time.

Finally, she felt like she could breathe.

"What happens if he wants to get frisky, hmm? Despite what he says I've seen men go cold turkey on sex, and let me tell you it's not pretty,"

Ino ripped her friend out of the clouds, and forced her to face reality. 

"I don't know what it is... but guys who just suddenly opt to not 'do it' anymore end up going a bit bonkers. It's almost like... sex becomes like a drug or something even if they don't realize it. It's not something that just having a quick solo can fix." 

The blonde made a good point, and Sakura knew her points were valid. What would happen if Gaara pressed her for sex? Yes, it had been a long time since her last tumble, and yes, she hadn't done it very often to begin with. 

The pinkette imagined it for a moment. The redhead crawling over her with devious intent, his eyes devouring her before his hands could even touch her. 

'" _Sakura, I need you_..."' 

Sakura squeaked, her face started turning red as her imagination went utterly wild. 

"Uh huh, I knew it. You have no clue on what you would do." Ino sounded smug on the other end, pulling the pinkette violently from her sinister daydream.

"Well, what would you do?! Isn't it too early for it--?!"

"Hell no, if it were me I'd be jumping his bones so fast he'd get whiplash." The blonde snickered, and then started giggling uncontrollably. "Heh heh heh... more like 'dick-lash'--" 

"Seriously?! I am not giving Gaara 'dick-lash'! It's too soon, and he'll think I'm loose or something..." Sakura sighed, and felt her spirit plummet at the thought. 

"Sakura, honey... you don't have to court like a teenager anymore. You're thirty three, you can fuck your partner on the first date. We don't have the time to play love games, and they were shitty to begin with anyways." 

Those words, for some odd reason made everything change for her in an instant. It were as if her entire universe was a jumble of puzzle pieces, and shaking the box suddenly put so many of them together. 

"Oh my god. You're right..." The pinkette blinked widely at the ceiling. "I'm in my thirties... I don't need to play 'chase' games. No leading him on, no pulling away to keep him invested... he's either into me or he's not--"

"Yes, yes, and yes." Ino chimed. "So if you want to have sex with him, and he wants to have sex with you then just do it. You don't have to be in wedlock or some stupid shit, you're both adults. Be adults."

Sakura blinked in wonder for a while, but then formed a shy smile at the thought. 

"Okay."

\--- ... --- ... ---

When she had requested that their date be kept private she wasn't expecting this...

Sakura looked over the rooftop of the kage building, and saw all the shimmering lights of Suna below. It was a dazzling sight, and left her a bit awestruck. 

"Sorry it's not the most posh setting, but I figured that this is the best place to get away from everyone. Or at least this is one of the places I like to go to get away." Gaara leaned on the rail beside her, staring out at the village he had worked so hard to nurture and care for. 

There was no contest on who was the best Kazekage of all time, he turned a decrepit and suffering village into a peaceful desert paradise, and he deserved to feel good about it.

"It's beautiful, Gaara. The view is perfect." The pinkette turned her back onto the rail in favor of looking at him instead, and she had to admit that he was terribly handsome. 

Yes, after seeing him so many times she now allowed herself to truly appreciate how he looked, sinful thoughts or not. He was clean, unblemished with exception of his kanji scar, and he seemed to glow from the faraway city lights. Those ghostly eyes of his seemed to glisten with the spectrum of sparkles below. He almost seemed like a perfect porcelain doll, as if his skin was just as smooth too. When the memory of him kissing her came back, she knew that fact to be true. 

The redhead didn't fail to notice that she had been staring at him, and a charming smile formed. 

"Something tells me that your idea of 'the view' isn't the village." Gaara gave a small chuckle. 

"Mmm, you're half right. I get two fantastic views tonight." Sakura grinned devilishly, and felt accomplished when he let out a more honest laugh. 

The pinkette turned away then, and walked with a bounce to her step towards the center of the rooftop. She finally allowed herself to check out the picnic he had placed out on a red and purple woven blanket, and he was by her side in an instant; a bit more anxious than he had been before. 

"Sorry, it was all I could manage to keep it private." The redhead sat down on a pillow he had brought, and started unpacking the food from the basket. 

'Is he kidding!? This is adorable!' Her inner self squealed childishly while her outer self sat down on the pillow next to him. He seemed to stiffen up for a moment, but then quickly learned to relax.

"I'm not complaining, this is very romantic." Sakura reached forward to grab what looked like a bottle of alcohol. She twirled the dark bottle around in her hands with a raised brow. "Wine?"

"Um... yeah. I don't usually drink, but I thought it would be appropriate. I've heard it's commonplace amongst dinner dates." The redhead gave an awkward laugh, and finally pulled out a meal that consisted of different meats, cheeses, and finger sandwiches . "I honestly can't cook much with the exception of roasting things over a flame. So I apologize for the lack of selection--"

"Gaara..." The pinkette reached out to turn his face towards her gently, and as he blinked owlishly she leaned in to place a gentle kiss on his lips. 

It was soft, warm, and incredible. His initial awkward tension melted into a relaxed puddle in her feminine hands. She pulled away slowly, and nearly giggled over the fact that he tried to follow with her so as to not break their contact. 

"Stop apologizing, this is wonderful. Thank you." Sakura let her fingertips linger on his jaw for a moment before teasingly letting them drag off his chin. His coal rimmed eyes were locked on hers in a heady way, blinking slowly as if in a dreamlike state.

The pinkette took a bit of the control away from him by dishing up their plates, and pouring the wine while he seemed to zone out in a happy daze. She had never seen him act like this before, and she couldn't keep the giggles to herself when she'd look at him. 

"Something on my face?" Gaara gave an innocent smile as he woke back up to the world around him. She teasingly patted his knee and laughed. 

"A cupid's arrow, perhaps. You're positively twitterpated--"

"Is that so?" The redhead scoffed a bit, but his tone was light hearted. "Why is it that you're not, as you say, 'twitterpated'?"

"Because I have read over a hundred romance novels, sir. I have dulled my senses to it." Sakura laughed before handing him his glass of wine. "However, it doesn't mean that I'm not impressed by your efforts." 

Gaara took the wine with a half smile, looking a bit shy as he examined the glass. 

"Well that's good, I was starting worry that nothing would please you--"

"You'll just have to find new ways to please me." The pinkette snickered, and held up her glass to toast with him. 

At first he shyly clinked their glasses, but before he took a sip a sparkle to his eyes started to appear. 

"I think I can manage that." His tone was smooth, and suggestive. When she looked at him in surprise he had kept firm yet haunting eye contact with her, and took an unflinching drink of his wine. 

'Sakura, you had better watch out. He's got a wild side that he's hiding from you.' Her inner self warned, and she quickly remembered what Matsuri had said about him. Despite her not wanting to think on it too deeply, the fact remained that he had made the woman lose out on an entire night's sleep, and apparently it wasn't the first time that had happened either. 

Gaara might have been a sweetheart all around, but he was clearly something to be feared on the battlefield, and now apparently behind closed doors. Despite his innocent appearance there laid a strong, and unyielding man underneath with an insatiable sexual appetite. 

'But boy, does he have the body for it...' Another heated memory of when they went swimming at the reservoir, and she hadn't failed to notice that he had kept himself in immaculate shape over the years. For being in his mid thirties he truly looked like a twentysomething stone-cold fox--

"I'm dying to know what you're thinking right now." Gaara took a bite off some cured meat while her heart nearly jolted at the sound of his dusty voice. 

'God... just his voice alone is enough... when did he become so sultry?!'

"Oh, nothing! Just thinking back on some things, nothing special." Sakura attempted to play it off, and hurriedly ate her finger sandwiches just to keep her mouth too occupied to talk. 

She initially wanted to take this very slow with him, but now she wondered if she would have the ability to actually resist his charms. The more time they spent together the more she realized just how alluring he truly was. 

"How is the hospital going?" The redhead attempted small talk, and she thanked the heavens for it as she swallowed.

"Great! We've hired a few more doctors as well as medical shinobi, and I'm proud to say that my classes have been doing wonders. Everything is becoming more orderly, and better managed. I'm actually quite proud of the progress we've made." The pinkette hummed happily as she took another sip of her wine, and swallowed. "We're still short staffed though, so I'll be focusing a lot more on education this coming season." 

"I'm sure we will have many wonderful recruits, you're an excellent teacher." Gaara smiled as he finished his meal, but barely took sips of his wine. 

She found herself blushing over the compliment, but she was more curious over the fact that he didn't like to drink. 

"You've barely touched your wine." Sakura smirked as she took a generous sip of her own. "Seems like a waste." 

"Ah ha... yes... I suppose so. I'm not exactly the drinking type." The redhead avoided her gaze for a moment, but when she refused to give up he finally became too curious. "Is there something wrong with that--?"

"Want to play a drinking game?" The pinkette bit her lip with excitement, and he managed to blush from the expression. 

"I'm a bit scared of whatever it is you're planning--"

"Don't be! It'll be fun, I promise!" Sakura giggled happily as she refilled their glasses. "We'll play truth or dare, but if you refuse the truth or dare you have to drink, and if someone successfully does your truth or dare you also have to drink." 

"Sounds simple enough. Although, I never had the chance to play truth or dare when I was younger, so this should be interesting." Gaara smiled with genuine anticipation.

However, she had a plan to wipe that smile right off his pretty face. 

"I'll go first. Truth or dare?" The pinkette leaned forward with a narrowed gaze, leading him to laugh. 

"I suppose truth would be best--"

"At the reservoir... how badly did you want to have sex with me?" Sakura almost purred, watching with inner glee as his cheeks severely reddened. 

He didn't answer, and when he took a long sip of wine the pinkette bursted out into a hysterical fit of laughter. 

"Oh, you are so done tonight--!"

"Truth or dare?" Gaara wasted no time in asking, and she almost felt threatened by his urgency. 

"Um... truth--?"

"I caught you staring at me that night, and I would love to know what your thoughts were." The redhead looked at his nails nonchalantly, obviously thinking he had won this battle.

But Sakura was actually a terribly competitive person, and she hated to lose. 

"I thought that you were taking very good care of yourself. You're in great shape, and have a very attractive body." The pinkette crossed her arms in victory, but her partner simply stared at her in wonder. 

"Ah... um... thank you." Gaara blushed before looking off to the side, then took a shy sip of his wine as he had unfortunately lost the round.

She was feeling quite proud of herself at this point, but the game had only just begun. 

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare." The redhead sighed, and it was obvious that he was preparing himself to drink. 

"I dare you to let out a really loud wolf howl." Sakura broke out into a giggle fit, and watched as a few expressions crossed his features. 

However, she wasn't expecting him to actually do it. He let in a deep breath, and on the exhale he gave a rather convincing wolf howl. Instead of being bitter about her loss she actually started to giggle, and clap from how impressive it was. 

"Thank you, thank you... now drink." Gaara pointed to her glass, and she laughed before taking her lengthy sip. "Truth or dare?"

"Hmm... I should probably do a dare, huh?" The pinkette narrowed her eyes knowingly, and he returned the look twofold. 

"I dare you to act like a cat for one whole minute." He held up one finger for emphasis, and she simply smiled at it. 

"I didn't realize you had a thing for 'cat girls', but I suppose I could indulge you this one time." Sakura grinned devilishly, and he scoffed at her as a result. 

"There is nothing attractive about anyone acting like a cat." 

She was grateful for the wine buzz she had already procured as she was about to make him eat those words.

"Mew..." The pinkette gave a cute little mewl, and watched as he seemed to perk up at the sound. 

Sakura licked her hand, and pretended to rub it on the back on her hair like a cat. He seemed to laugh at first, but then went quickly silent as she got on all fours to 'stretch' like a cat. She arched her back, and pressed her chest all the way to the ground while scratching her nails against the blanket. 

She had never seen a man look so pleasantly shocked in her life. 

The pinkette got back up, and crawled over to him. She draped herself chest down over his tensed lap, and nudged his hand with her head so that he would pet her. When he seemed to follow through with it she arched her back again, to which his hand pet from the base of her head all the way down her back. 

"Meow...?" Sakura rolled over on his lap with her chest now arching forward, he seemed to mindlessly pet down the center, and she purred as a result. 

"You seem to have proven me wrong... terribly wrong..." Gaara murmured as he scratched ever so gently under her chin. She stretched again, and as his hand began to wander down her chest she gave a small giggle.

"Aaand we're done!" The pinkette rolled off of him, and into a sitting position with a feral grin. "Drink!" 

He did so without argument, and even lifted his glass to honor her before taking a sip. 

"Alright, truth or dare?" 

"Truth." He pulled the glass away with a tight breath, but remained smiling. 

"How do you want this date to turn out? Are you wanting to just hold hands, and look at the stars; or are you craving something a bit more sinister? And be descriptive." Sakura settled back down on her pillow, and began picking up their finished plates. 

He waited for a moment, probably not wanting to freak her out with whatever his deepest desire was, but it was already pretty clear that she was quite fearless. 

Her conversation with Ino earlier continued to remind her that she didn't need to be fearful of anything that was naturally occurring between them. If they were both invested in going all the way there was no shame in that.

"To be honest, my initial plan was to just have a nice evening. Have good conversation, eat a nice meal, and perhaps a little bit of that hand holding you spoke of." The redhead gave a shy smile at first, but then quickly looked away from her. "Obviously I didn't take into account how fiery your spirit is. Now all I can think about is you acting like a sexy cat." 

The pinkette started laughing hysterically, finally cracking from all of the pent up emotion. He chuckled with her, and when they both died down their eyes became locked in a dreamy gaze. 

"So, what your saying is... you're wanting something a little different--?" 

"If it's with you I am happy with any outcome." Gaara murmured softly, and placed his now empty glass on the blanket beside him. 

As sweet as that was, it wasn't the answer she was looking for. 

"Well, I was rather hoping you'd tell me what you desired. Who knows, I might give it to you." Sakura was now the one who looked nonchalantly at their nails, but she could still feel his heated gaze on her. 

"And what if I said something very crass--?"

"I might consider it." The pinkette interjected before he could finish. Her eyes were on the horizon now, watching the clouds get lit up from the city below even though the night sky was black in contrast.

She felt him move closer to her, and for some odd reason her heart started to race. He leaned in near her ear, and gently moved away her pink hair.

"I would like to kiss you..." The redhead whispered softly against the shell of her ear, and she giggled uncontrollably as a result. 

"Oh my, that's so naughty..." Sakura almost snorted before giggling again, and she squealed as he pulled her closer to him by her waist. 

"Well... I didn't tell you were I wanted to kiss you--"

"You scoundrel!" The pinkette squirmed playfully in his arms, but was quick to submit when he kissed at her neck. 

She hummed pleasantly from the feeling, but panted excited breaths as he brought his mouth back up to her ear. 

"I want to kiss every inch of you..." Gaara bit at her earlobe making her shiver, and gasp. "Will you let me?" 

'Alright this is it. Do I do this... or do I hold off?' Sakura wondered what the right response was. 

No more rules, and yet she found herself unsure. Her body wanted it, and her heart wanted it, but for some reason something kept screaming at her that she was moving too fast. That he wouldn't appreciate her anymore once it was all over. 

While she stiffened from her racing thoughts she felt him pull away, and as her heart clenched from his lack of closeness it plummeted down as he moved back even further. 

"Forgive me... I am clearly being too forward." Gaara shook his head, it was plain to see that he was feeling ashamed of his behavior. "This is not something that is done on a first date--"

"I asked for it, and I got what I asked for. You have nothing to be sorry about." The pinkette interjected, trying desperately to bring him back towards her. 

But he just sat there, staring at the ground with a stony expression. 

"Gaara, stop beating yourself up. I'm not upset." Sakura decided to move then, and slid up next to him so she could press against his side. "I'm not... saying no... I just need a bit of coaxing..." 

His expression twitched for a moment, then one naked brow rose up curiously as she continued. 

"You know how girls are, right? We need to be cuddled, fawned over, and flattered relentlessly before we put out--"

At that he let out a genuine laugh, and as the brilliant smile creeped across his features she felt a wave of affection overwhelm her.

The pinkette pushed him over by the shoulders, and he twisted to land on his back with a laugh. Clearly he thought it to be playful, but as her delicate hands traced up from his bent knees to his toned thighs his demeanor changed to one of disbelief. 

Sakura crawled over him, and watched with inner glee as his eyes eagerly traced her frame. 

"Truth or dare?" She purred, and he blinked at the fact that she was still trying to play the game. 

"It's my turn, not yours." Gaara answered smartly, and she gave a flirty laugh before brushing away some stray red strands that had fallen into his eyes. 

"Okay... dare me..." The pinkette smirked devilishly, and he seemed to mirror the feeling perfectly. 

"I dare you to kiss me. However, I want you to put your heart into it." The redhead blushed slightly at his own request, but continued to keep steady eye contact with her. "When you kissed me last night... I had never experienced anything like it..." 

Gaara sounded breathless as he reminisced. She didn't hesitate in lowering her lips to his, and kissed him firmly with her whole heart. He didn't hesitate like he had initially done yesterday, this time he was eager to match her movements, and kissed her like his life depended on it. 

Suddenly she was pulled down to his chest, and their arms snaked around each other in a desperate need for holding. She felt his tongue raking against her own, and it warmed her from the inside out. 

He broke away with a gasp for air, and a soft yet wanting groan resonated in his throat. The sound alone sent shivers through her entire body.

"Truth... or dare...?" Sakura panted softly, and watched as he gave a breathless laugh. 

"Dare." The redhead closed his eyes, and allowed his head to lay back on the blanket. 

"I dare you not to make a sound." The pinkette whispered, and his eyes blinked open in question. 

Sakura leaned in to kiss his neck just below his ear, and she heard him exhale heavily. Her dainty fingers played with the buttons of his coat, opening up the top in able to expose his entire throat. She was determined to leave a mark, and when she sucked hard she felt his hands groping greedily at her frame while he writhed underneath. He was panting harshly, but was holding back from being vocal. 

"Truth... or.... dare--?"

"Truth." The pinkette snickered to herself knowing just how much choosing 'truth' would mess with him. 

With a growl Gaara rolled them, and pinned her underneath him. He gave her a chaste kiss, then provided her with a sly smile. 

"Favorite position." His coal rimmed eyes narrowed, and she scoffed at his boldness. 

"I haven't done much, so I can't really answer that. Missionary is pretty much the standard." At that admition she actually blushed, and had to turn away from his owlish gaze. 

"That... sounds awful actually. I'm sorry you've been missing out." The redhead almost laughed, but clearly cut it off before it could become full blown. 

"I can't believe you're the slut here." Sakura snorted, and he feigned offense to it.

"Hey now, I'm not a slut. I just know what I like--"

"And what does the great Kazekage like, hmm?" The pinkette ran her fingers through his crimson hair, enjoying the minky texture. 

His head followed her hand, eager to be pet by her gentle touch. 

"I like it when my partner is well taken care of. It's much better that way." His head dipped down to lightly kiss along her jaw, and she sighed while dragging her nails across his scalp. 

"Always the 'pleaser'." She teased while he pressed himself up, and back onto his knees. "Well, I can be flexible too--"

"Oh really?" Gaara grabbed one of her legs, and tested her claim by pushing it upwards. "How flexible?" 

The pinkette laughed, grabbed her leg from him and pulled it up to her face to show that she could do a perfect vertical split. He blinked, and chuckled at her playfulness. 

"I can do that too." The redhead scoffed, and she brought the leg back down to hook over his hip. "Although, it won't do me much good to show that off at the moment--"

"Oh no, please! By all means, spread your legs!" Sakura broke out into a fit of laughter, but it was quickly silenced as he went back down into kissing her shamelessly. 

This time was different, this time the kiss left her breathless and dizzy, and his hands started to move along her frame. She parted her lips to allow him to slip in his tongue, and the leg she had over his hip tried desperately to bring him closer. 

A warm hand grasped firmly at a breast, the sensation left her moaning against his lips in a way she wasn't expecting tonight--

"Gaara!!" 

Suddenly a voice ripped up their romantic evening into shreds, and they both paused mid kiss to turn their heads towards the sound. 

It was Kankuro, and he was violently out of breath. Judging by his frightened features they realized that he wasn't necessarily there to bust them, but rather something awful must have happened. 

Gaara was sitting up in an instant, as if he could read his brother like an open book. 

"Gaara, it's Shinki... he... he messed up bad this time..." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, like said at the beginning be prepared for higher volumes of smut in this fic. There will be nice smut, bad smut, and maybe some really dirty stuff. Let me know if you are for or against more 'pornographic' or 'kinky' stuff in the comments :3


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking care of business, one drama at a time ;)

"Gaara, it's Shinki... he... he messed up bad this time..." The puppet master looked to the ground then, as if he himself looked guilty. 

She had never seen the redhead move so quickly in her life, in fact he was only just barely buttoning up his jacket as he closed the distance to the door in a brisk jog. 

Sakura fixed herself up, and swiftly got to her feet to catch up with the two men now practically running down the stairs. 

'What did he mean by 'Shinki messed up'?' The pinkette's mind was racing as she finally caught up by jumping down the last two flights of stairs. They didn't seem to be bothered by it, in fact Gaara looked back to give her a wave to get closer to his side. 

"Will we need to use Sakura's healing abilities?" The redhead pressed as they broke out into a sprint through the halls, but Kankuro shook his head. 

"No, the girl is in stable condition, but she was pretty much skewered. Although, if it weren't for Sakura's classes I doubt the hospital would have been able to save her." The elder brother huffed as they ran, and her mind continued to try to piece together what was happening. 

"Then I assume we are running because he's not stable--" Gaara threw in as they closed in towards the living quarters. 

"That is correct." Kankuro replied tightly, and finally they slowed their pace into a walk. 

The redhead looked concerned, as all parents do when something bad transpires with their child. Although, she doubted that Shinki meant to hurt the girl they had been talking about. 

"Can you tell us what happened first, Kankuro?" Sakura turned to the puppet master, and he answered with a nod. 

"Sure. Apparently Shinki was out training tonight to let off some steam, and a girl who he knew from the academy came up to talk to him. This girl must have liked him a lot, cause when they got to an 'emotional' part of their conversation she kind of threw herself at him..." Kankuro looked to Gaara with a sympathetic look, as if they both had experienced something like this before. 

This entire thing had her growing more curious by the second.

"I suppose it's time for 'that' conversation. I was sort of hoping I wouldn't have to explain it to him... but his circumstance is different in comparison to normal teenagers..." The redhead stopped in his walk, and stayed perfectly still as his mind clearly raced. 

'You have got to be kidding me.' Sakura looked at both of the men incredulously. Was this seriously going to turn into a talk about the birds and the bees? 

"Wait a second. Has he never had a health class?" The pinkette almost gaped at the possibility, but luckily they confirmed otherwise. 

"Ah, well he has. It's just... when you manipulate elements on a whim like we do... it's different." Gaara sighed, and finally turned to address her with a sad smile. "It's dangerous for us to feel strongly until we've fully harnessed our power. Not to mention that both he and I both had a great distrust for people out of fear of being hurt by them, so naturally his first instinct is to fight anyone who tries to get close to him." 

"...You did this too?" Sakura pressed quietly, and he made a strange face. 

"I didn't have girls throwing themselves at me until after I became Kazekage, so luckily I had already honed my skills by that point. Shinki has had a more fortunate life in that he has made changes sooner rather than later, but unfortunately his iron dust is still very unstable." The redhead sighed, and started picking up his feet again while they followed him. 

"So... he attacked her because he doesn't like her? Or did he attack her because he does like her?" The pinkette walked up to Gaara's side, and he gave a small laugh. 

"Well, that's what I'm going to find out. We'll figure it out from there." The redhead nodded to himself, and they finally made their way to Shinki's room. 

Iron dust was seeping out from underneath the door, and for a moment she thought about what Gaara had been like when she met him. 

Frightening. He was absolutely terrifying in his youth, but had she met that same boy now she felt that she wouldn't fear him any more. 

Gaara moved his hand out gently, and his sand mingled with the iron dust on the floor. The dust felt around the sand, and then retreated into the room. 

"What just happened?" Sakura eyed around him curiously, and he gave a small smile. 

"We greeted. It's easier for him when we meet this way." Just as Gaara finished the door to Shinki's room opened, and a cloud of dust was so thick that nothing could be seen inside. 

The redhead's sand parted the sea of dark grains, and he waltzed into the room as if it were his own. Sakura turned around to see Kankuro nod, and start taking off down the hall, leaving her with the decision to stay or go. 

She wanted to help this boy, and she wondered if having a woman to talk to would be beneficial. She decided to try it, and if he didn't want her there she would leave. 

The pinkette stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. As soon as the latch clicked a wave of iron dust swarmed her until she couldn't see--

"She's here to help, Shinki. Settle down." Gaara had a warning tone to his voice, and the dust plopped to the ground lifelessly as if the boy had thrown it out of frustration. 

"I don't need her help." The teen answered, and she could see him hugging his knees on his bed. 

For the time being she decided to stay quiet, and watch the conversation unfold. Gaara moved through the moonlight to sit on the edge of the bed, and gave a soft sigh. 

"Do you want to tell me what happened--?"

"I'm sure uncle Kankuro already told you. So no. I don't want to tell you what happened." Shinki hissed, and the redhead seemed astonished that his son would give him so much attitude. 

Well, she knew how to handle sass. 

"Shinki." Sakura said his name gently, but also with unwavering confidence. She watched his head shoot up to glare at her, but she let it slide. "You're not in trouble, and we understand it was an accident. No one thinks any less of you, we are simply concerned because we know you're beating yourself up. There's no shame here." 

She watched as he turned to hang his head, and she took it as a sign of surrender. 

"However, we can't help you unless you let us. It's up to you whether you want our assistance or not." Sakura walked confidently through the room, and went to stand near the window by the side of the bed. "Will you let us help you?" 

"You'd never understand!! You don't have the powers that we do--!"

"You're right. I can't understand that, but I know every emotion that went through that girl's head when she hugged you tonight." Sakura interjected, and watched as the boy went wide eyed. He seemed to grow shy, and quickly had his iron come forth to reform his cloak. 

"Shinki, can you tell us what you were feeling when it happened--?"

"NO!!" The teen turned away completely on the bed, and Gaara made a tired face. She decided to step in again.

"I understand it's embarrassing for you, but we want you to know that you're not alone in this. If you remember not too long ago Gaara practically killed me during that sparring match--"

"That was not completely my fault." The redhead bit back with some bitterness to his tone, but the pinkette simply laughed. 

"Oh whatever, you got cocky." Sakura scoffed before turning her attention back on the teen. "It happens to the best of us. Your father is a wonderful man, but even he can have an accident here and there--"

"You're making it sound like I'm wetting the bed." Gaara snipped, and at that she gave a small giggle. 

"I'm sure you did as a child--"

"Hn. Never. I was perfectly potty trained--" 

"I'm sorry..." Shinki finally spoke up in a small voice, and turned towards them with a sad look in his eyes. "I didn't... I didn't mean to hurt her..." 

Her heart was instantly clenched and she found herself moving towards the bed to sit on the edge with them. 

"I know you didn't, honey. It's okay." The pinkette gave him a sad yet warm smile, and gently reached out her hand to touch his elbow. Luckily he didn't react like he had earlier with the other girl. 

"She liked me... and she had told me that... I just didn't know what to say... and then she practically tackled me..." The teen gave a tight exhale, and Sakura moved her hand to gently comfort his forearm. "It... scared me." 

"Do you like her, Shinki?" The pinkette asked carefully, and he shifted awkwardly. 

"I don't really know... I don't like people, but she's not so bad to be around..." He gave a soft huff before putting his chin onto his knees, still allowing the pinkette to touch him gently. 

"Well, you're a cute kid. You'll definitely have more girls chasing after you, so I'd think hard on whether or not skewering them is best." Sakura laughed sweetly, and witnessed the boy blush a bit. 

Her eyes slipped over to the redhead, and what she saw there was a smile hiding behind his hand. She blinked at him, and when he caught her staring he gave a small laugh. 

"I'll tell you later. It's not important now." Gaara smiled further, and she felt a bit of mischief behind his words. 

"Are you guys going out or something?" Shinki huffed again, and with a deep blush to her cheeks she locked eyes with the teen. 

"Ah ha ha... um--"

"Yes." The redhead answered for her, and her blush worsened as she looked at his knowing expression. 

She peered back to Shinki, and once again he shifted awkwardly in his seat. 

"So does that mean you're going to be my mother?" 

At that she squeaked, and quickly pulled her arm away from him to anxiously put in her lap. She looked to Gaara for help with the topic, but he seemed to be enjoying watching her squirm. 

"Maybe, we'll have to see. It's too soon to tell." He finally answered, and the pinkette almost fainted from the response. 

"Okay!! Well I'm going to leave you boys to it! Go ahead and get all that gross boy talk out of the way, I'm out of here!" Sakura gave a forceful laugh, and stood quickly to begin her retreat. 

She would meet up with Gaara later and get the scoop, this was just too awkward for her at the moment. 

"Sakura?" 

As her name was called by a small voice she turned to address it politely. The teen looked at her with kinder eyes than she had ever seen before. 

"Thank you." He lightly bowed his head, and his father smiled warmly at his side. 

'Oh.' The pinkette felt her heart clench, and she almost felt like crying. 

"You're very welcome, Shinki." 

\---- .... ----- ..... -----

He was drained, but he knew that he had to see her before he retired for the night. However when he went to her room he found that she wasn't there. 

With a shrug the redhead went to his room instead, believing he would see her in the morning, but was pleasantly surprised when he saw her waiting by his door. 

She had clearly changed into her pajamas, which consisted of a white t-shirt and tight black shorts. It made her look younger for some odd reason. 

"Welcome back." Sakura smiled at him, and he felt that the gesture was contagious. "Everything go alright?" 

"Yes, he's fine now. We can talk about it further once we get inside." Gaara reached past her to unlock his door, but out of the corner of his eye he could see her smirking. 

"Desperate to get me into your room, huh?" The pinkette flipped her hair as the door opened, and he moved as a gesture for her to enter. 

"Oh, of course. You didn't think I'd just let our date end like that, did you?" The redhead eyed her with mischief, but she seemed completely unphased. 

"Well, aren't we cocky?" Sakura pushed past him to get inside once the door was opened, her demeanor aloof and hard to impress.

He followed, and shut the door behind him gently. His cyan eyes watched as she wandered about his room, looking at all of his cacti, books, and knickknacks. 

The pinkette was beautiful in everything that she did, even the way her hands lifted objects were as if her moves were choreographed. 

"So... is Shinki actually doing okay? Or is he just managing?" Her voice cut the dreamy silence, forcing him to shake the blood back to his brain. 

"He's frightened of himself, but he'll live. It's a cross he has to bare, and he'll learn to control it just as I did." Gaara gave a tired sigh and went about removing his coat. 

"There were times when people touched you, and you just lost control?" The moment that Sakura said it he instantly turned his head toward her with an incredulous gaze. 

It took her a moment, but eventually she gave a hearty laugh, and awkwardly fidgeted with her hands. 

"Okay, sometimes I forget that your definition of a good time used to be murder--"

"Hey, I take offense to that." The redhead huffed and turned away. He then removed his shirt, throwing it into a wicker hamper he had close to the wall.

"Aw, did I hit a nerve?" Suddenly her voice was right behind him, and he froze up at how close she had gotten without making a single sound. "You know I don't judge you for it." 

"You really should, I've hurt you in the past as well." Gaara murmured softly, feeling guilty over how he used to act when he was a teenager. 

Cool and delicate fingers ran across his bare shoulders with a feathery touch. It was so stimulating that he had to try very hard to keep from shivering. 

"I was really weak back then too, so it's partially my fault. I didn't practice enough." Suddenly he felt warm lips on the back of his neck, and those sinful fingers ran teasingly down his pale arms in able to grab hold of his hands. "If you tried crushing me now I would break out of it--"

"I sincerely doubt that." The redhead felt a smile make it's way across his lips, and it furthered when her thumbs gently stroked his palms.

"Should we test it?" Sakura gave a dark snicker, leading his mind to a devious place. 

"I think bondage would be going a bit fast for us--"

At that he recieved a pinch to his palm, and the sand from his gourd rushed to the area as if he were a wasp nest that had just got struck with a stick. The pinkette gave a squeak before retracting her hands away from him. 

"You couldn't handle bondage, your sand would just ruin all of the spankings." Sakura laughed heartily then, and he got the pleasure of watching her skip away. 

She then splayed herself on his bed, which was surprising as he felt that would be the last place she would want to be. 

Or maybe she was trying to tell him something...

"Spankings... I have no clue what that feels like." Gaara gave a chuckle and started at his belt, watching her zero in on the area with curiosity. 

"I've never had them in the sexual sense, but in the punishment sense? Yeah, they suck." The pinkette laughed again, but the sound trailed off when he slipped off his pants. "Are you the adventurous type when it comes to sex?" 

That had him pausing, pants hanging from his arm as he went to throw them in the basket. 

"Uh... I'm not sure--"

"Well, what all have you done?" Sakura's tone was so nonchalant that it made him wonder if she was actually even interested, or if they were just chatting about the weather. 

He awkwardly cleared his throat, and tossed away the garment in his hand. 

"I don't really know how to answer that question..." The redhead responded with a slight flush to his cheeks, and tried busying himself with finding a pair of pajama pants in his dresser. 

"Okay, well what's your favorite position?" The pinkette was getting a bit invasive with her questions, but if they were going to have any sort of physical relationship it was only natural that he tell her, right? 

"Um... when I can see the woman's face. Facial expressions are a key factor." He finally found a soft pair of black pajama pants, and took them carefully from the other folded pants in the drawer.

"So you don't like doggy style then?" 

He dropped the pants on accident, and hurriedly gathered them from the floor. 

"N-no... I do... it's just not my favorite--"

"Huh, that's too bad. I really wanted to try that one." 

Gaara swallowed hard at the thought, and the imagery began to attack him like a rabid animal. 

"Well, if we have sex I'll be sure to perform it." He tried saying it professionally, but it just came out awkward. 

Her laughter only made him cringe more. 

"'If we have sex'! You're funny." Sakura giggled some more, and when he turned around to address her he was surprised to find that she was now laying on her stomach with her head towards the foot of the bed, her chin resting on her palms as she eyed him up and down shamelessly. "So, are you going to take off your underwear before you get in those comfy pants?"

He gawked at her in disbelief, and held the pants protectively to his chest. 

"I didn't realize I was putting on a show--"

"Well it's a little late to get shy now. Go ahead and finish getting changed, don't mind me." She waved her hand at him to continue, making him straighten as a result. 

"I'm not showing until you do." Gaara bargained, and recieved a laugh for his effort. 

"For wanting to get me in your bed so bad you sure are making this difficult." The pinkette narrowed her eyes, but fingered at her shirt. "It makes me wonder if you even like me anymore." 

She sat up, and lifted her t-shirt up just enough for him to see the underside of her breasts, but then with a yawn she brought the shirt back down. 

"Mmm, you know what? I'm kind of tired. I think I'll go to bed--"

"You can sleep in my bed if you like." Unable to keep the idea to himself he quickly threw out the option, but she merely giggled in response. 

"You would love that, wouldn't you?" Not waiting a second longer she maneuvered off of his bed, and he felt a small wave of panic go through him. 

The redhead closed the distance before she could get to the door, and placed a confident grip on her wrist. She stopped, but didn't turn around to address him. 

"Don't leave, please." Gaara hugged her from behind, and inhaled the scent of her fragrant hair. 

"Begging already? That's so unlike you." Sakura relaxed further into his arms, allowing him to press up her chest with his tight hold. "I like it though. Keep humbling yourself, and I might put out--"

"I think you just like pressing my buttons." He murmured against her ear, then leaned down to taste her neck. 

"You're not wrong about that. I like seeing you get animated about things." She sighed as he dragged his tongue along her pulse, and arched against him to the point where her backside was pressing firmly against his groin. 

He was done beating around the bush, and allowed his hands to grope at her curves. She felt surprisingly plush, and yet firm to the touch. When she sighed again he smoothed one palm up to her chest, and gripped firmly at one breast while she squeaked and squirmed. 

"No... I wanted to ask more questions--"

"Ask, and I'll show you." He kissed at her neck again, and his free hand found it's way to the junction between her thighs. 

The pinkette whimpered then from the touch, and it was such a pleasant sound that he gave a sharp exhale out of anticipation for more. 

"Alright then..." Sakura panted, and shook her hair out of her eyes. "How do you want me?" 

He gave a physical answer to her question by taking away his hand from between her legs, and shoving her up against the wall next to the door. In the struggle she accidentally hit the light switch, turning off the lights and sending them into darkness. 

Gaara paused for a moment, thinking on whether or not he might be moving too fast for her, but when she gave an outward laugh he felt himself chuckling with her. 

"Are you fine not seeing me?" The pinkette snickered, and he answered by running his hands along her body; enjoying her anxious squirming far too much. 

"I have other senses to compensate for lack of sight." The redhead purred, leaning forward until he could feel her breathing against his cheek.

He followed the small huffs until he accurately found where her mouth was, and placed a feather soft kiss to her hot pouting lips. When she tried kissing him back he pulled away to ghost along the petals, his breath hitching as her delicate hands ran up his exposed abdomen to his chest. 

"I think you want this..." Gaara gave a sensual hum, and felt her fingernails lightly dig into his porcelain skin. 

"And what is it that I want?" Sakura gave a breathless giggle that was quickly silenced by a chaste kiss. 

"You want me..." The redhead gave a low growl, and kissed her with an inch of passion before pulling away again. 

He could feel her trying to stay in the kiss, following him until she could no longer keep in contact. 

"Maybe... convince me." Her voice had turned rasped with desire, making him antsy with the need to have her. 

As he went in for a passionate kiss the moment was quickly splashed with cold water as a loud knocking sound came from the door. The two froze up in an instant, but it was Gaara who let out a groan of frustration. 

"Hey, it's okay. We can do this later." Sakura flipped on the light, and his eyes narrowed from the intense brightness of the room. 

"If we ever get interrupted again I am going to punch someone." The redhead snarled, and surprisingly she laughed at him instead of recoiled. 

He quickly threw on his pajama pants, and straightened out his hair before opening the door. 

The redhead was actually planning on yelling at whoever was disturbing him at this hour, but when he saw a look of concern on his own brother's face he instantly cooled. 

"Is it Shinki again?" He asked before Kankuro could explain, and the puppet master shook his head. 

"The medics are having a hard time with that girl. Her internal bleeding started up again... is Sakura here with you? We couldn't find her in her room--"

"Yeah, I'm here." The pinkette walked into the doorway to show she was present, and Kankuro's demeanor instantly changed. 

"Ah... uh-- yeah, the girl is not well. Can you help?" The puppet master started to turn a bit red in the cheeks, making Gaara realize just how well his brother seemed to understand the current scene he was invading on. 

"Yup. I'll get my kit. I'll meet you at the hospital in fifteen." Sakura nodded professionally, and turned back to redhead with a apologetic smile. "I'll see you later?" 

"You'll be tired when you get back... so I'll see you tomorrow." The redhead leaned in for a reluctant goodbye kiss, and she returned it expertly. 

"Tomorrow then..." She made eyes at him while a small smirk formed on her lips, then turned away as if nothing had happened at all. 

Gaara hadn't meant to, but he stood in his doorway peering down the hall just to watch her walk away. There was a bit of a sway to her hips, and when she disappeared down the stairwell he gave a small sigh of defeat. 

"Are you kidding me, Gaara?" 

The voice had him blinking, completely forgetting that his brother was still there in the hall. He flushed more than a few shades of red before running his hand through his hair. 

"What?" The redhead said it in a way that one would accept as a self explanation, but the puppeteer merely withered. 

"You know what. Second time tonight I've caught you together. First I thought it was a fluke, but now it's plain to see what's actually going on--"

"And what, pray tell, is going on that is so concerning?" Gaara grumbled, and got his brother's balking eyes in return. 

"Are you serious?! You're sleeping with her!!" Kankuro shouted out. 

It was instantaneous the way that the redhead and snatched his brother's arm to pull him close to his face. 

"Keep your voice down." Gaara gave an intimidating glare, but his brother didn't seem scared in the least. 

"You were just dealing with a scandal in the news, and now you're going to put her through that shit again? How can you be so selfish--?!"

"She came to me." The redhead groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. "She heard that I was... sharing my bed with someone... and became hysterical. That's kind of when we realized there was no going around it." 

"Around what?? The fact that she doesn't like you sleeping around--??"

"The fact that she wants to be the person by my side rather than someone else? Yes, that fact has been made thoroughly aware." Gaara huffed, tapping his foot slightly as he tried to think of ways to convince his brother that he and Sakura knew what they were doing. 

"Do you even love her, Gaara?" Kankuro asked bitterly, but also in complete seriousness. 

The redhead felt that word hit him hard, and it made his chest ache at the thought of having it for someone and perhaps not having it returned. 

Did he love her? He cared about her more than any other woman so far, aside from his own sister. So...

"I don't want to answer that question to you." Gaara murmured, thinking the answer to be sufficient. 

Wrong. 

"What the fuck does that mean?!" The elder brother hollered, and once again the younger had to hush him. 

"It means that if I'm going to admit that I love her then I want to say it to her first!" The redhead whispered harshly, but it was loud enough to be a speaking voice. 

"Really?" Kankuro deadpanned, and looked off to the side incredulously. "That's your plan? You don't know until you tell her?? That sounds so dumb--"

"It's not your relationship!" Gaara barked that time, and made his hands into fists. "At any rate, don't butt in! We are grown adults, and it is absolutely none of your fucking business!"

Kankuro blinked at him in utter shock and awe. One of his hands went to cover his mouth, and he let out a sharp exhale. It was such an odd response that the redhead actually flinched. 

"What is your problem now--?"

"You dropped the 'f' bomb." The puppeteer removed his hand to reveal a slightly creepy grin. 

"So did you, I don't see why you're so surprised." Gaara shifted on his feet, feeling a bit weighted under the look that he was being given. 

"Gaara, you never say that word... ever. I have literally never heard you say that word." Kankuro waved his hands excitedly while the redhead continued to flinch from his strangeness. "Are you doing like... kinky stuff with her--?"

"Goodnight, Kankuro." Gaara withered, stepping back into his bedroom before slamming the door behind him. 

"I'm going to take that as a yes!" His brother's voice sounded from the other side of the door, making the redhead lose his temper in an instant. 

"GO THE FUCK TO BED!!!" Gaara gave a loud snarl, and he heard giggles disappearing down the hall. 

Something else was said, but he couldn't rightly hear all of it. Something about 'He said it again' or the like. At any rate the redhead was completely done with the day, and wanted nothing more than to just try to sleep the rest of the night away. 

As his head hit the pillow he thought about her, and he also remembered that she had given him that 'look' before leaving. 

'"Tomorrow then."' She had said. 

And now he was too antsy to sleep. 

"Damnit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting a bit spicier, trying to keep this a slow burn was rough but since we are past chapter 10 I think it's okay to start diving into darker waters. However, I love swimming to the absolute bottom of the deep end so be prepared for anything and everything. 
> 
> Comment and let me know how you're feeling about the story! Some of my last comments really made my heart soar, thank you so much!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: 
> 
> This chapter gets rough, and I mean in a lot of different ways. Language and content go dark in this one, and I'm not going to lie some of you may get upset. 
> 
> There is nothing like noncon or anything like that, but you'll see what I mean when you read it. It's just... yucky. Anyways, let's get on with it.

There was a pep to her step as she came to the breakfast table, seeing Gaara reading the paper while Kankuro chatted up his nephew, Shinki. The men greeted her properly, while the youth simply gave a 'hn' of acknowledgement. 

She sat down next to Gaara, which was surprising as the seat was usually taken by Kankuro, but for some reason was strangely open today.

'How curious...'

"Did you sleep well last night?" Sakura asked the redhead next to her, and he seemed to twitch while reaching forward for his coffee. 

"Like a teenager." Gaara grumbled under his breath, and unfortunately it made her snort; gaining the sudden attention of the other two occupants in the room. 

"Sakura, how did the procedure go last night?" Kankuro asked without thinking, and she watched Shinki bristle next to him. 

'I have to be very delicate with this...' She thought. 

"Pff, hardly anything to worry over. In fact I'm surprised they even needed me at all. My guess is that they are getting lazy again." Sakura lied for the most part.

The girl she worked on did have a fair amount of internal bleeding. However, she didn't want to worry Shinki over it. The problem was fixed, and the girl was well on her way to recovery. There was no reason to make him feel worse about it. 

"That's great news." Gaara smiled genuinely at her, showing that he could act skillfully at the drop of a hat. 

Kankuro on the other hand seemed to be confused, but when the redhead raised a hairless brow at him he seemed to get the message. 

"Ah, that's... great! Really great." He quickly finished up his breakfast, and chugged down his juice. "I'm going to head out then! Got... stuff to do... fun stuff...." 

'God he is so awkward when it comes to delicate matters.' Sakura waved goodbye nonchalantly, and when Gaara mimicked the motion Kankuro snorted at both of them. 

"Okay, later 'lovebirds'." The puppeteer boldly called out, and disappeared out the door in a rush right as Gaara made a leer at him. 

"How childish..." The redhead huffed, going back to hiding his face in his paper. 

However, Sakura knew it was because he was hiding a blush from everyone. She could see it on his ears. 

"Ah, Shinki! I was wondering if you wanted to spar with me today?" Sakura asked cheerfully, and watched as the boy seemed to sink in his chair. 

"Last time we had this conversation you got impaled." Shinki blurted, and the redhead gripped the paper a bit tighter than usual before anxiously going to sip his coffee.

"Hah, getting impaled by your father isn't that bad--"

Coffee suddenly spewed out of the man next to her, and he began coughing violently. She chose to mostly ignore it for the time being, but gave him a firm smack on the back to get him to breathe again. 

Shinki in the midst of all of this just stared at the two completely wide eyed. 

"I could get impaled all day, and I could still walk afterwards if I needed to. I'm a tough girl, and I recover quickly." Out of the corner of Sakura's eye she watched the redhead hide his face in his hands at the table, and his son merely furrowed his brows in confusion. 

"Father, are you sick--?" 

"....No. I didn't sleep well last night. You know the drill." Gaara waved his hand at his son, and for the first time the pinkette actually saw the youth crack a smile. 

"I'll get you a new cup of coffee." The teen stood up graciously, and took the empty cup to go refill it. 

"Shinki? Can you grab the--?"

"Aspirin is already on the table next to the salt." Shinki hollered from the kitchen. 

Sakura started snickering, and was greeted with a glare from between Gaara's fingers.

"You think you're so clever." The redhead removed his hands to intensify his stare, and she gave him a coy smile. 

"I have no clue what you're talking about--"

"You do know that he understood what you were saying right?" Gaara narrowed his eyes at her, and as the teen reentered the room he met her eyes with a flush. 

It was quiet, he refused to speak as he put down the cup of coffee, but then cleared his throat after being thanked for his service. 

"I'm training with Kankuro today... he insisted." Shinki gave a slight bow before straightening awkwardly. "Although, I should eventually like to spar with you at some point... if you find the time of course... clearly you have been very busy." 

She blinked at that, but smiled nonetheless. 

"Of course, Shinki. Maybe tomorrow we can spar, I'll check my schedule." Sakura smiled further, and as he blushed he also nodded.

"Um... thank you. Have a good day." Without even really looking to his father he simply patted the man's shoulder awkwardly before turning and high tailing it out of the room. 

There was a steady silence for a while until the pinkette shifted in her seat. 

"So does everyone seem to know that we're together now? Kankuro obviously knows now--"

"Yes, I had a lovely conversation with him last night. Got berated for having possible 'sleep overs' with you after such a big scandal. Some choice words were said..." Gaara sipped off his new cup of coffee, and Sakura narrowed her eyes curiously. 

"Who said these 'choice words'?" Her immediate answer that she recieved was a sarcastic laugh. 

"Both of us." Gaara took another distracting sip before roughly putting the cup down. "He demanded answers about us..." 

"...And?" She pressed when he decided to stop himself from speaking the rest of his piece. 

He awkwardly cleared his throat, and distracted himself by fiddling with the buttons on his coat sleeves.

"....And I told him it was none of his fucking business." Gaara gave a light sigh before nonchalantly picking back up the morning paper. 

She blinked in shock over his language, but then went straight into a snicker. 

"You said that?"

"I did."

"Word for word?"

"Yup." 

He was completely deadpan, and she couldn't keep the hysterical giggles from escaping her. 

"Well, you used a very crude word there. I didn't think you'd ever say it." Sakura broke out into more giggles and snorts, eventually resting her head on the table before breaking out into full laughter. 

"I have definitely said that word before, I just save it for special occasions--"

"Special occasions involving your brother?" The pinkette laughed harder, and he waited for her to get a breath in before giving his snarky reply. 

"Actually that's the first time I've said it in front of him, I think. I try to make it a habit to not say it in front of other men."

At that she paused, and brought her face up to look at him with a confused expression. He simply gave her a smart side glance and an even smarter smile. 

"So you only save that word for women? That sounds rude." Sakura raised a well groomed brow at him, to which he actually fully turned his body to address her concern. She was a bit surprised by his sudden urge for her to understand, and so she was all eyes and ears.

"You won't find it rude when it happens--"

"I think I will. In fact I'm going to be offended just because you told me not to!" The pinkette grinned wickedly before attempting to flee from the table, only for him to reach up and pull her back down into her seat. She gave a shrill squeal and a hearty laugh. 

"Oh no, I promise you'll want to hear it." Gaara snaked his hand forward to stroke at her thigh. "And feel it..." 

She had guessed that this was what he meant, but she shoved his lecherous hand away with narrowed eyes. 

"Excuse you, not at the breakfast table. People eat here--"

"It can be cleaned..." The redhead smirked, leaning in to capture her lips quickly. 

She allowed him to kiss her however he liked this morning. She knew he had to have been up all night last night judging by how his dark circles seemed to be larger today. She didn't mind, if anything his smokey eyes always seemed so exotic and entrancing. 

"You have to go to work." She spoke between kisses, and he growled slightly at the fact that she was right. 

"You're just trying to tease me--"

"Hey, it's not my fault you're a pervert. Stop thinking about fucking me." Sakura whispered, and he laughed outwardly. 

"But I like thinking about it." Gaara purred in response, clearly he had been riled up all night, but she was ready to leave him with the thought all day today. 

She stood up quickly, but couldn't avoid the tight embrace he had on her waist. He pulled her standing form towards him, and he placed his head on her stomach lovingly. 

"What do I have to do to get you to do this? I'm growing desperate." The redhead nearly panted, and she couldn't believe how he could go from a calm, level headed father figure to a hormonal, horny, 'teenage boy' in seconds. 

'What am I talking about? All men do this.' She inwardly laughed. 

"Tonight we can try something. I don't know what yet, but we can definitely experiment." The pinkette offered, and he finally released her from his tight grasp. 

"I'm holding you to it." Gaara grinned devilishly, openly staring up and down her frame as she chose to walk away from the situation.

"Oh, please do." Sakura smiled sweetly at him before leaving the room, not failing to notice how he seemed to have a dreamy smile in return. 

There were times that he was dark, scary, funny, sweet, and sexy. She never got tired of discovering different things about him.

\--- ... --- ... --- ... ---

The day had gone by quicker than expected, and she had practically a skip to her step as she approached his open office door. 

"--Stop, please." She heard his voice say from inside, so she stopped dead wondering what he was talking about, and who he was talking to.

"C'mon, Gaara. I already told you that I don't care if your seeing anyone. They don't need to know." 

It felt as if she had been stabbed in the stomach, a sharp pain was twisting her insides making her sick. 

'Is he... is he--?'

"I'm not doing it, Matsuri. We're done. I'm not going to hurt---"

Suddenly his words became muffled, and the pinkette felt the silence become the heaviest weight in the world. 

It was too long--

"--mmph get off! I told you no more!! We are DONE!!" Gaara actually sounded angry for once, it was a tone that she hadn't heard from him in a very long time; not since he was much younger.

Inside her she knew that Matsuri probably had her hands all over him, and had probably tried kissing him too. Sakura didn't know if she could handle her jealousy anymore, or her own overactive imagination. 

She felt sick, she just wanted to run away from this.

"Fine, but when you finally do get bored of this woman you're seeing, my door is open. You know where to find me--"

"I won't be searching for it. Please leave." The redhead interjected, and what was strange was that Matsuri seemed to laugh jokingly about it.

"I'm serious though, call me when you need some variety!" Suddenly her voice was at the door, and it was too late for Sakura to run away from the situation. 

Her face appeared, and as the brunette set eyes on her she seemed confused. 

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" Then suddenly something dawned on her, and the pinkette couldn't look her in the face anymore. 

There was a loud laughter that errupted from the other woman, and it left a chill down Sakura's spine. 

"Oh, this is rich! Wow!" Matsuri laughed even harder, gaining the attention of the man who they were both vying for. "Gaara told me you two weren't a thing after that little scandal, guess that makes him a filthy liar."

The redhead stepped out into the hall to see the commotion, and his face instantly paled. Upon seeing his reaction the pinkette only seemed to recoil further, and the bitter kunoichi revealed her claws. 

"Did you hear that whole conversation? You poor pathetic thing." The brunette suddenly showed a new array of colors clearly out of jealousy, and the pinkette was instantly taken aback. "No wonder you looked so sick the other night, almost green really. However, I don't blame you for it after hearing about how long and hard he fucked me--"

"MATSURI, LEAVE!!" Gaara pulled Sakura towards him by the wrist, and for the first time in her life she actually shrunk in front of the competition. 

Matsuri didn't fail to notice, and decided to lay in some final seeds. 

"Huh, last week I was sucking you off in your office, and now you're trading me in? How cruel of you, Gaara." She hissed at him, and smiled menacingly at her. "Thanks for the goodbye kiss though. You know I'll always love you." 

The brunette said it in the most mocking way possible before turning on her heel to walk proudly away. Showing herself to actually be a frightening adversary. 

Sakura technically didn't lose anything with the exception of her pride. The once kind woman had turned on her in seconds once she discovered her to be competition. 

The pinkette was shaking, and she felt bile rise up in her throat. She covered her hand over her mouth, and desperately swallowed to keep it down. 

"Come inside, quickly." Gaara guided her urgently into his office, and she followed in a daze. 

She felt it again, that urge to vomit, and she began sweating as a result--

Suddenly a small garbage can with a plastic bag covering it was handed to her, and when she looked up to the can she saw the desk just past it--

'"--last week I was sucking you off in your office--"'

Nope. She lurched, and all the contents of her stomach came up into the trash bin. She grasped it desperately, allowing him to let go of it with a guilty expression. 

"Sakura... I didn't... I didn't plan on something like this happening..." His voice was shaking, as were his hands that were running anxiously through his hair. "You shouldn't have had to hear that... ever... and I understand... I understand if..." 

He couldn't finish his sentence, and his throat seemed to choke up before he could finish speaking. 

"God, I'm so sorry." The redhead murmured, his voice so tight she wondered if he might cry. 

She had nothing left to heave up, so she managed to croak a few words. 

"S'okay... water... tissues... please." Since he listened intently to every word he also seemed to be on immediate response duty, as he was back with both in less than a minute. 

"Sit down, I'll take care of it." Gaara pressed her shoulders so that she could sit on his small couch, and quickly went about the task of taking the plastic bag filled with vomit out of the trash can. 

Where he took it to she didn't know, and it didn't matter, all she cared about now was cleaning herself up and rinsing out her mouth. 

If she ever saw Matsuri again she would punch her right in the jaw--

"Sakura, I truly am sorry about all of this." He kept apologizing, but really it wasn't his fault. 

Yes, he should have left Matsuri before switching over to Sakura, but their relationship was more of an accident to begin with. That, and it seemed that Gaara and Matsuri were already rather open with their relationship, in fact it didn't even seem like a real relationship to begin with. 

"I never thought she could be cruel like that..." The pinkette murmured, and the redhead took a seat next to her on the couch with a sigh. 

"Trust me, I didn't see that coming either. I think she just planned on us being 'friends with benefits' until we died." Gaara groaned, placing his head into his hands in frustration. "Damnit, I'm so sorry, Sakura--"

"I'm not mad at you." Sakura sighed, feeling a bit of her strength returning to her. "I get it, you were lonely, and she liked your attention. It's not that hard to understand." 

"It doesn't mean that it's right, and her behavior towards you was uncalled for. If anything she should have just been mad at me." He shook his head from side to side in disbelief, and refused to look up at her. 

'"--Thanks for the goodbye kiss--'"

"Did she kiss you?" The pinkette asked ever so quietly, and when he nodded she felt her heart plummet.

"Forcefully, it was not reciprocated." Gaara sighed, and sinked further into himself. "I have to be the worst boyfriend. I'm utterly failing at this, and I've barely even started." 

Sakura shook her head. He was wrong, there was actually nothing wrong with their relationship. The only problem was that he had a jealous... ex? Fuck buddy? She didn't even know what to call her. 

'"Fine, but when you finally do get bored of this woman you're seeing, my door is open. You know where to find me--"'

"That fucking bitch..." The pinkette started shaking, her blood beginning to boil under her skin. 

Finally the anger was setting in, she wished she had felt it earlier in front of Matsuri.

"Uh... what?" Gaara brought his head up to look at her curiously, and his eyes blinked owlishly at her furious expression. 

"That. Fucking. Bitch." Sakura enunciated each word, and didn't fail to watch him scoot a bit further away from her. "Saying things like 'when you get bored come find me hur hur I'm a fucking slut' C'MON!!" 

The pinkette quickly got to her feet, and began pacing around the room. 

" 'I sucked you off just last week--' well how about you suck on my dick next bitch?! I'll fucking fight you, and win! I'm not scared of your fugly ass--!!!"

"Um... Sakura..." The redhead was practically shrinking into the couch, but she didn't care. 

"Gaara, let's go! Your place! Now!!" Sakura barked at him, and just as she was marching to the door he quickly scrambled up to grab hold of her arms. 

"I don't know what your plan is, but you need to calm down." Gaara tried convincing her, but she simply turned around with a seething expression. 

"She wants to have a 'biggest cock' contest, so I'm going to bend you every way I can for the next fucking week AND THEN RUB IT IN HER STUPID FAT FACE--!"

"While I find the first part to be very interesting, I would just like to say that the second half will not be happening--"

"WHY THE HELL NOT!?!" 

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, AND I NEVER LOVED HER! YOU HAVE ALREADY WON SO THERE IS NO NEED TO GET BACK AT HER!" Gaara lost his breath from yelling, and had left her completely speechless. He blinked at himself for a moment, and then cringed. "Is... that okay? You know... that I said that...?" 

Sakura blushed a deep shade, yet she shyly looked away, and nodded. 

"You just yelled at me very angrily, and also said you loved me at the same time..." The pinkette found their normality again, and gave a scoff. "The hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm just... angry about this, but I love you. That's really all there is to it." The redhead answered bashfully, scratching nervously behind his head. "Does that bother you?"

"I'm bothered by you being angry, but you loving me? It's... cute." Sakura blushed thoroughly, and regained her stability. "When did you know?" 

"I'm not really sure... there were little pieces that I loved right away... and they just sort of stitched together into this big 'love quilt'." He shifted awkwardly on his feet, and then let her go to pace. "Listen, I don't want her to affect you. Yes, she was horrible to you, and if she attacks you again I will personally take care of it... in my own way."

'Oh...' She blinked at the 'open to interpretation' threat he just made, surprised that he would even lower himself back into that headspace. 

He was willing to go full 'monster'... for her...

"However, for now I want what she said to you to mean absolutely nothing, because everything she said made me feel just that; nothing. I felt empty the entire time I was with her, and you do not make me feel that way. She is not competition, she was a friend that I passed the time with, but now even considering her a friend at any point is becoming a stretch for me right at this moment."

Gaara got tired of pacing, and went back to the couch to hold his head in his hands.

"Can we just pretend this didn't happen--?"

"No." Sakura answered sternly, and he looked up with a withered expression. 

"Sakura--"

"Save it. I'm going to go brush my teeth and take a shower, I'll meet you at your room later." The pinkette huffed slightly, and walked quickly to the door. 

"Sakura--!"

"I'm not mad at you." Sakura answered as she grabbed the door handle, and she sighed. "Meet me in your room in forty five minutes if you can. We can hug it out, kiss and make up, whatever. Right now though, I just want to be angry at her, so please allow me that courtesy." 

She looked back one last time to catch him blinking at her in surprise. He carefully nodded his head, and she managed a small smile before leaving the room. 

If that bitch ever came at her again though, she had better think again.

\--- ... --- ... --- 

Gaara yawned, and looked for her in her room only to remember that she had spoke about meeting in his room. So he opened the door to find... nothing. She wasn't there. 

With a frustrated groan he began taking off his jacket, and walked over to the closet to hang it up only to hear water running in his adjoined bathroom. 

Was she really taking a shower... in his bathroom?? 

He walked inside, allowing the steam to envelop him as he entered. He could smell his soaps and hair products... 

Literally all of them... she must have used a little bit of everything in there as it smelled completely male. 

"Sakura?" The redhead asked curiously, and her voice answered in a chipper tone. 

"Hello!!" She peeped her head out from behind the curtain, and showed off all the suds on her head and shoulders. "You look like shit..." 

He blinked at that, and then furrowed his naked brow at her with the intent of getting angry again--

"Want to hop in with me?" She grinned ear to ear, it was that sassy grin that he had learned to like so much. 

"Are you going to wash me?" Before even saying 'yes' he had already started in removing his shirt. 

"Maybe... Oh! I need a sample of your cologne at some point--"

"Uh... why?" He was in the middle of taking off his pants when she put that little demand on him, almost tripping him up in the garment. 

"Because when any other women are around I want to be sure that your smell is on me saying that 'I'm your woman'. I might end up spraying your clothes as well with my own stuff... to fend off any other females in heat. Let them know you're my man--"

"Oh, really?" He opened up the curtain to show all of her in one go, and while he very much appreciated the sight of her sudsy naked body he was also trying to make a point of the fact that she couldn't just go making decisions like this without him. "And if I say no--?"

"Then I'm going to leave hickeys all over your neck. I will make them frighteningly noticeable." Sakura rinsed out her hair, thus rinsing her entire body.

The water cascading down her curves made her look beyond heavenly, and he found himself closing the curtain behind him as he stepped into the stream with her. 

"Better start now then, because I'm not doing a fragrance swap." Gaara scoffed, and reached for his shampoo only for her to quickly grab his hand to suck hard on it. "Ow--!!"

"And there's number one! In plain sight so everyone can see it. Now I just have to leave an entire trail going to your chest--" Before she could finish he quickly latched himself to her neck, and sucked hard until he knew it would make a mark. "Gaara!!! No--!!!"

"Oh ho, it's only fair! I need to make sure all the other men out there realize that you're mine." He turned the tables against her, but wasn't expecting her to turn away, and pout. 

"I don't have any men coming after me right now. It kind of sucks..." Sakura sighed and grabbed the conditioner with an air of dejection. "People tend to steer clear of me--"

"Ah, my fault. I've threatened people to leave you alone... and I'm sure word travels fast." Gaara slightly laughed at the strange turn of events while washing his hair. "Sorry about that--"

"No you're not! You're getting extra hickeys you bastard!!" The pinkette lunged for his neck right as he rinsed out the shampoo, and ended up pressing firmly against him.

He could feel every wet inch of her slipping against his body, and he couldn't stop the groan leaving his throat. Her arms slowly glided over the tops of his shoulders, and her head rested lazily on the crook of his neck. 

"Gaara..." Sakura murmured close to his ear, her fingers dragging against his shoulder blades. "I'm for sure the only woman you want, right?" 

"Yes." He answered gently, caressing her smooth skin in a soothing way. 

She hummed while relaxing further against him, and rubbed her face onto his soaked shoulder. The pinkette dragged her hands along his soapy wet body, eventually massaging his skin to create more suds. 

The shower was already hot and steamy, so the extra heat from her actions had him tingling all over. 

"I've been too nervous to actually look at you..." She murmured bashfully, and her coy behavior had him holding and touching her more than before. 

"You see naked bodies all the time in the hospital--"

"Yes, but seeing yours now is completely different... I know what it will do to me... and... to be honest it was rare for Sasuke and I to actually get physical with each other, so really I have little to no clue what I'm doing." Sakura hid her face against his shoulder in embarassment, and her fingers dug into his skin as she tightened her embrace. 

Gaara felt flattered, sad, and yet also empowered by her words. Suddenly he was the experienced one here in the sense of physical touch, something he never realized he would be such an 'expert' in. 

"Well, let's start slow then." The redhead pushed her away from him by her shoulders, and she reluctantly allowed it until her back was pressed against the shower wall. 

The pinkette's breath hitched from the coolness of it, and slightly squirmed while he held her at arms length. His eyes traveled her body slowly, taking in every shining wet curve, and branding it into his memory. She tried following his lead, but once she got to his groin she immediately shut her eyes with a squeak. 

"Oh my god." Sakura said it a bit breathlessly, and his mind was racing over whether she found him suitable or unsuitable.

"I'm sure it's a bit different from... previous experiences--"

"Yeah, that's an understatement." The pinkette took a harsh gulp, and opened her eyes only to look upwards. "That thing is like... the width of my wrist!"

Gaara choked on his own air, and then nearly snorted before holding his hand over his mouth to keep it contained. However, his rapidly huffing breath couldn't be hidden, nor could his smiling eyes. 

"Don't laugh!!" Sakura barked at him, and to his shock she actually groped him between the legs quite firmly. 

He hissed, and immediately stopped snickering in favor of holding her upper arms. 

"That's uncomfortable..." The redhead winced, but thankfully her grip lessened enough for him to give a sigh of relief. 

Her hand was stroking along it now, and it had him instantly melting in the steaming heat. 

"I'm sorry for hurting you. I was just embarassed..." The pinkette nearly whispered, and her head settled back on his shoulder to hide her face. 

He didn't want her to be so nervous, she was beautiful and he didn't care if she was out of practice, or even if she had no practice at all. 

"This makes up for it." Gaara purred close to her ear, and felt her shiver from head to toe. 

It was then that he realized he would have to pull out every trick he knew, and make some up along the way just to get her to calm down. 

"Do you even realize how beautiful you are?" The redhead spoke just above a whisper while moving his hands from her shoulders all the way down her gorgeous back. 

She made a sad sound, and shook her head while it remained down against him. 

"You're so beautiful that I stayed up all night thinking about you. I couldn't sleep, all I wanted to do was come find you, and hold you against me again." Gaara brought one hand up into her hair, and gathered the wet locks lovingly in his grip. "You're not only beautiful; you're kind, generous, smart, strong, and a wonderful person..." 

He tilted her head back, and looked into her watery eyes as she fought to hold back tears. Cyan orbs searched her face, recognized her, loved her, and memorized her. He swallowed back the heart that had gotten stuck in his throat, and his brows furrowed in all seriousness. 

"I am... in love with you, Sakura." The redhead spoke just above a whisper, as if the words might bite him back if he were too loud. "I love you."

Sakura clamped her eyes shut in a bittersweet way, allowing tears to drop down her cheeks. She smiled, but cried silently through the expression. He pulled her tightly to his chest cradling her head to his shoulder while also holding her back securely. 

Had anyone ever held her this way before he had? Had anyone ever sincerely spoke those words to her? Did she ever feel safe in someone's arms--?

"I love you too, Gaara." She whimpered.

His questions no longer mattered, the only thing that did was that he cared for her now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ending here was warm and fuzzy, and I do apologize for making Matsuri out to be the bad guy, I actually do like her I swear 🤣
> 
> Next chapter will be... hueh hueh hueh noice 👌
> 
> Hope it wasn't too awful. Please tell me your thoughts ❤


	13. 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Sex. That's all it is. 👌

His hands had been all over her, and she allowed him to touch and explore as he saw fit. 

Sakura could feel his eager length pressing at her hip, begging for her attention. She ran her wet fingers teasingly over the flushed tip, slightly admiring it's smooth texture. 

"That feels nice..." Gaara breathed against the shell of her ear, making soft and lazy kisses along her neck. 

Their shower had run hot, and not just because of the tension between them. He had turned up the heat of the water on purpose, and it left a pleasant pulsing to her skin. 

The redhead's bathing products had a distinctly male scent; just as refreshing as they were heady. She kept inhaling the smell deeply, allowing it to seep into her brain. 

Something changed in her, a sensation she hadn't felt in a long time. A sort of passionate abandon forcing her to pant against his shoulder while kissing and sucking at his wet, porcelain skin. 

"Gaara..." The pinkette exhaled his name in a dreamy haze, feeling her body get pushed up firmly against the cooler wall. It allowed her to feel a bit more awake for a moment, but then she was once again quickly overheated. "It's... so warm in here..." 

Oxygen was hard to find in the amount of steam she breathed, so she found herself panting harder than normal. Her delicate hands abandoned touching him in favor of clinging around his neck and shoulders. His harsh exhale on her neck told her that his patience was wearing thin, and that since she was no longer touching him he was going to spiral out of control. 

It was fine, she didn't mind if he lost his head for a little bit. She surmised that he rarely had that chance to truly do as he pleased anyways seeing as how the women he had been with probably couldn't physically withstand his full potential. 

But she knew she could handle him, she could handle just about any form of torture to her body, and come out unscathed due to her great talents. She felt no fear in the idea of him possibly hurting her, hell she might even return it in kind if his sand allowed for it. Only time would tell. 

His hands were firm on her at first, overly eager to grope at her curves and mounds. She whimpered as he squeezed at her breast, the tender flesh just barely large enough to fill his hand. His other hand went fearlessly between her legs, palming and stroking with an expertise that she wasn't expecting. However, she would have to keep reminding herself that, despite her being the only one married before, he had a shocking amount of experience where as she had only a handful.

"Hnn..." Sakura whimpered, and nuzzled her face against his dewy shoulder as the pleasure warmed in her cheeks. 

"It sounds like you're enjoying it." Gaara purred into her ear, the dusty sound of his voice forcing a mewl out of her.

"Hnnyeah..." The pinkette nearly whined, and as she began rolling her hips he gave a breathless laugh. 

"Do you want more?" The redhead breathed out slow and hot against the shell of her ear. It was so sensual that she couldn't contain a true moan from escaping her lips. 

"Yes... please..." Sakura pleaded, and gave a relieved cry as his hand pressed firmly against her sensitive pearl. 

He worked and massaged the area, the pangs of pleasure he caused was leaving her dizzy, and high. Her head turned up to look at him, and he quickly caught her gaze. Haunting cyan orbs surrounded by black smoke peered into her, stripping her raw of any form of decency. 

It was like he could read her thoughts just by peering into her heavily dilated pupils, and he gave a sweet half smile that left her breathless. 

"You're so beautiful... Sakura..." As he spoke, running water dripped off his flushed lips. He licked them eagerly, and leaned in to lightly kiss the corner of her mouth. "I don't deserve you... but I can't stop myself from wanting you... forgive me--"

Sakura turned her head to capture his lips with her own, distracting him from his self loathing. His kiss turned from delicate to ravenous in seconds, stealing whatever breath she had left in her lungs. 

The pleasure between her legs was beginning to be too much. Every inch of her was pulsing from the heat and ecstasy, and she felt as if she was wonderfully drunk. She cried out against his lips, inspiring him to open his eyes at close range. 

All she could see was his eyes, all she could feel was his body, and all she could taste was his lips. When he breathed she did too, occasionally taking in his exhales but not minding it one bit. She was moaning and crying his name just centimeters away while his breathing grew tighter as each second passed. 

"You're almost there... go ahead... finish..." Gaara panted huskily, his eagerness to witness her climax being the final straw to break her. 

The pounding pleasure finally overwhelmed her, and she let out a high scream that was quickly silenced by his mouth. The sound continued to flow out of her in open mouth kisses, and her eyes looked skyward as her whole form tingled and prickled. There was a buzzing in her mouth, and in her skin. The sound of her heart beat was loud, and she could feel it pounding so hard in her head and chest that she wondered if she might be dying.

She didn't know when her voice had cut out, and her body felt so stiff as she clung to the remaining sensation that began to flutter away. She could feel his kisses on her jaw, his affirming whispers in her ear, his one arm holding her upright against him as her knees tried to give out. 

The whole world was turning, and she clung to his naked frame for dear life. 

"So.... dizzy..." The pinkette mumbled, and felt him bring her down closer to the ground. 

The air seemed cooler down there, as did the water raining down on her. Everything was still pulsing harshly, but she was actually a tad bit grateful that her orgasm wasn't any more intense than that. 

She gave a little laugh, that slowly turned into a hysterical fit of breathy giggles. 

"I know that couldn't have been all me." The redhead snickered, and she nodded in agreement, but with a dopey smile. 

"Nah... you can blame the hot water...." Sakura panted for a moment, noticing her world beginning to slow in its rapid turning. "Blood... goes to the skin when hot... giving it extra sensitivity..." 

The pinkette breathlessly laughed again, and nuzzled against his chest. 

"Add in lack of oxygen... and you have a really strange orgasm..." Sakura started to squirm in his arms, gaining back her sense of self once again. 

However, he seemed to be a bit cautious now; carefully moving her, lovingly brushing wet bangs out of her eyes before cupping her face in his porcelain hands. 

"Was it actually bad--?" He started to ask, and she nearly snorted.

"Heavens no!" The pinkette grinned stupidly, running her hands over her own wet skin while his eyes seemed to follow. "It's powerful is all. If you want the sensation to be intense then this is the perfect environment." 

Her hands reached up to his hardened chest, tracing down the toned muscles of his abdomen. 

"Every inch of you is intense too... from your beautiful eyes, to the way that you move... the way that you speak..." Sakura's eyes left her hand to look up into his curious gaze, and she smiled bashfully at him. "I expected no less from you... in fact I'm anticipating more--"

"You can't even begin to understand the amount of restraint I'm using right now." Gaara's tone came out low, and rough. 

His chest rose and fell with large breaths, and her hand stayed planted on where his sternum met his abdominals. The muscles tensed beautifully under her delicate fingers, making her yearn to press her body against him. 

"I don't want you to restrain yourself." She began, but he huffed stubbornly in response. 

"I don't want to hurt you--"

"Don't worry..." The pinkette interjected, running both her hands down to his chiseled hips. "You won't."

The redhead stared at her, breathing as calmly as a starving animal. Something was almost feral about him, and she wondered if breaking the moral chains on him was a good idea. 

No, she wanted him to be as authentic with her as possible, and if that meant him pulling out something she wasn't expecting then she would just have to roll with it. 

"No reservations... no limiters... I want you to do what feels natural to you." Sakura took a deep, and exhilarated breath while keeping firm eye contact with him. "I'm not afraid of what you can do." 

His kiss felt like a lunge, pressing her entire form to the smooth stone floor in an instant. No longer did he test the waters, or ask for permission; no, everything was out on the table now. 

Porcelain hands gripped her roughly, sharp canines tugged her bottom lip with a low growl, and her legs were spread in shameful display with her knees nearly touching the floor in a butterfly-like position. Her eyes watched him, his soaked red hair clinging to his skin while more water continued to drench him. 

Gaara did not look like he did normally, in fact he reminded her of a bit of the boy she had met a long time ago. That frighteningly serious gaze, with a hint of a strange smile that would normally scare most people that knew him, but it only proved that he wasn't hiding himself from her. 

Arms slid under her lower back, clinging and pulling her hips upward until they reached his own. The muscles in his arms were defined as he carried her weight, and he eagerly rubbed his erection against her folds. Sakura gave a needy whine, squirming a bit with the strong desire to be filled by him.

The redhead paused, watching her in a daze for a moment before placing her gently back to the floor. She didn't understand it, didn't he want her like she wanted him--? 

"This... isn't how I want to do this..." Gaara shook his head, the light spray dripping on her. "Not this time... I want this to be much more intimate..." 

The pinkette blushed at that, but also couldn't help the coy smile that graced her lips. Her arms reached for him, and when he took them he allowed them to link behind his neck as he hovered over her frame. 

"So how intimate are we talking?" Sakura giggled as he moved one of her legs up and over his hip. He managed to rock himself against her slit once more, making her whimper delightfully. 

The redhead leaned down to kiss her so gently she could have cried. He rubbed against her a few more times, breathing heatedly against her mouth. 

"Think.... smooth jazz..." Gaara laughed breathlessly, and she couldn't help but snort at the thought. 

"Okay, so less romantic and more cheesy--?"

"How is jazz cheesy?" The redhead pouted before she broke out into a fit of giggles. 

"It can be cheesy if played at inappropriate times." The pinkette grinned ear to ear, but then panicked as he lifted away from her with a huff. 

"No jazz for you then--" He began to move further away, and she yanked him back down out of desperation. 

"No wait! I love jazz! Jazz it up--!"

"Please don't say it like that." Gaara had made a kind of funny face in an attempt to hold in his laughter. 

"But I'm totally 'jazzed' right now. I love jazz. 'Jazz' all over me, baby, my body is ready." Sakura couldn't contain herself anymore and started nearly snorting with hard laughter. She could hear his soft chuckling follow, and then his lips took hers again without a second thought. 

She hummed, and gripped his body harder. Her hips arched upwards to roll herself against him, and he groaned as a result. 

"Alright... nice and slow then..." The redhead purred against her lips. 

At first it somewhat startled her, his precision in entering her wasn't something she was expecting, but clearly he knew how to move to hook them together just right. His movements, however, were extremely slow and she got the pleasure of feeling every inch of him on the way in. 

The pinkette moaned, not even being completely filled by him, and yet her body responded to him with so much excitement that he barely had to move for her to feel ecstatic. Gentle thrusts began like a well oiled machine, moving slow without creaking or jerking. 

Sakura had to wrap her other leg around him as she pushed and pulled through the motions, sighing with each pass into her soaking wet heat. Her nails clawed at his wet porcelain skin, and her teeth bit down at his lip to tug and suck. 

"Do you like it?" Gaara panted along her mouth, and she nodded eagerly. 

"Mmhmm." The pinkette was afraid to speak out of fear of desperately crying out for him. Her hands gripped firmly at his muscular shoulders as waves started to wash over her from the inside out. 

She arched up repeatedly, eager for more of his attention to get her over that edge. He seemed to notice, and although he gave a soft laugh he did nothing more than that. 

"Gaara... please--!"

"Sssh..." The redhead hushed her, and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "In time... I promise..." 

Gaara continued his torture while she whined and cried for more. She tried reaching for his hips, frantically pulling at them to move faster but being denied every time with his same slow and hypnotic movement. 

"Just relax..." He purred, running one of his hands along her wet frame while the other held his weight. 

The redhead's coal rimmed eyes followed his hand, admiring her body beneath him with a small smile. He bit his lip gently as his gaze came upon where they met, and his lids lowered as he watched her take him deeply. 

Sakura whimpered in embarassment over how hard he was staring, and his cyan gaze came back up to playfully eye her. 

"You're beautiful... so don't be shy..." His gentle touch came back up to cup her chin, and he ran his thumb along her bottom lip lovingly. "I love every inch of you..." 

The pinkette felt a few tears threaten to break through, but she simply settled on pushing herself up to kiss him. He took her lips expertly, and leaned back down to lay further into her embrace allowing his weight to rest on her. He wasn't extremely heavy, so it was fine for him to lay on top of her, and it gave them the chance to truly wrap their arms around each other. 

Gaara was so deep inside her now, and she was beginning to shudder around him. Her walls were contracting without much stimulation, and she knew that any change in pace would send her overboard. 

"I think you're ready..." The redhead smiled against her mouth before giving a sudden rough thrust. 

"Fuck--!!" Sakura cried out sharply, and breathed in greedy gulps of air from the sharp shock of intense pleasure. Her entire form began coiling around him; arms, legs, and core. 

With a breathless laugh he did it again, this time gaining a shriek of delight while her fingernails scraped hard against his damp skin. One hand latched into his wet red locks to pull, forcing out a groan from his throat. 

His pace quickened, his pressure built, and his hands gripped her curves almost painfully as he huffed and moaned. Shock after shock had her whines turning into high pitched wails. Her back arched like a tightened bow, and her body tensed as each second felt better than the last. 

White hot pleasure overwhelmed her quickly, and his breath flayed against her lips as she screamed his name shamelessly. She felt one of his hands maneuver and adjust her own next to her head, and when she expected him to pin it she instead found their fingers laced together in a firm yet loving grip. She could feel that grip tighten as he grew closer, until finally their hand holding became so tight she thought she might bruise under the pressure. 

He tensed, trembled, and groaned harshly as he finished. His hips had pulled back to allow him to gush freely along her slit and stomach rather than inside, and despite the running water rushing over them she could still feel the pulses of his essences hitting her skin. With their remaining harsh breaths they held each other closely, and he burried his face against the crook of her neck. 

The water trickling around them was a pleasant sound, and her throat didn't feel dry like it usually did after such a taxing activity. She kissed at whatever wet skin she could find, and listened to him hum in contentment as she did it. 

The pinkette sighed, feeling completely at peace with everything after such a long time. She wished every second could be like that, and she desired nothing more than to stay this way for as long as possible. 

"Smooth jazz." Gaara blurted out next to her ear, and she broke out into a hysterical fit of laughter while hugging him tighter. 

"You're such a dork--!!"

"Don't lie, you love me." The redhead laughed with her, and she hummed in response. 

'It's okay, you can tell him again.' She told herself, and then smiled at the thought. 

"Well... you're not wrong..." Sakura sighed, and cuddled him. "I love you."

Despite his slight stiffness at her words he held her a bit tighter, and nuzzled his face against her wet hair. He hummed with contentment, and they laid there for a long while enjoying their glow in warm running water. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, good stuff.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, drama heightens here and there is a bit of abusive behavior (the kind where you get violent) it's not quite full on domestic abuse, but it's cutting it close.
> 
> However, I'm sure a great majority of you have snapped at someone for one reason or another, and I for one am not foreign to it. Although, as we mature we learn to control our emotions better, but there will always be something that causes a person to 'break'. This is explored a bit in this chapter.

The sun was bright coming through his window, but he knew it was still early morning. 

Gaara looked around him to find a head of pink hair just below his chin, her body draped halfway over his own in their sleep. He couldn't help himself, his larger hands ran through her silky locks, watching them shimmer in the morning sun. He had never felt so lucky in his life. 

Sakura stirred slightly, hugging herself as close as possible to him. The pinkette nuzzled and hummed with contentment. 

How did it come to this? How was he so fortunate to have her in his arms? He couldn't believe the events leading up to this point, but he wasn't going to complain either. 

The redhead was in love, and allowing himself to drown in the feeling as much as his heart desired. He kissed the top of her head affectionately, and rubbed the silky skin of her creamy shoulder. 

"Stop it." The pinkette huffed, but a smile was present on her face. 

"Stop what?" Gaara whispered, and watched her smile grow bigger. 

"Stop being cute." Sakura laughed breathily, and his heart began to race at the beautiful sound. 

"I'll stop being cute when you stop being the most perfect being I have ever set eyes on." The redhead murmured, and got a snuggle for it. 

"Keep up that kind of talk, and you'll be late for work--" 

"Oh really?" Gaara gave a devilish grin before maneuvering himself lower. 

The pinkette gave a tired groan, but lifted herself to get eye level with him. 

"Yup. You will be so late people will start to worry about whether you've been kidnapped." Sakura purred, and leaned in to kiss him teasingly on the lips, to which he returned easily. 

"I've been kidnapped before, I don't think what you plan on doing is kidnapping--" 

"It will be if I tie you up." The pinkette laughed darkly. 

Alright, he might be a little late for work now, but it was worth it. 

"I'd like to see you try." The redhead rolled them over for her to be pinned beneath him, and she teasingly fought against his hold with a feral grin. 

"Get the rope then. I'll hog tie you--" 

"Absolutely not. Can you imagine how humiliating it would be if I was caught in such a compromised position?" Gaara laughed at the same time that she did, but he was easily enchanted by her smile. 

"Oof, Kazekage in the papers again. He just can't keep himself out of trouble." Sakura giggled, but was cut off by a swift kiss. 

She hummed against the contact, and he let go of her wrists so that she could easily embrace him. 

"You're the trouble I can't stay out of--" He began to say, and she laughed again. 

"That's just the new name you gave my vagina, isn't it?" The pinkette broke out into hysterical laughter, but once again he couldn't contain himself. 

He was kissing her smiling lips feverishly, wanting nothing more than to be as close to her as humanly possible. She broke away to breathe, and he attached his lips to her neck while she mewled. 

"Ooo, Gaara wants to get into trouble--" 

"Mhm." He agreed with that statement while his hands smoothed over her breasts. 

Yes, he would do anything right now to be inside her, but luckily for him she was already eager and willing. Time passed wonderfully as hands wandered and touched, lips connected and breathed heated breaths, and his body arched into her own as if they had always belonged together. 

The morning was as good as the night before, only it was far more relaxed. They took their time in getting there, occasionally chatting as they worked. It was possibly the most social sex he had ever had, and it was wonderful. 

However, after they had finished he looked at his clock with a groan. 

"I guess I'm missing breakfast..." Gaara almost snickered at the fact, and felt warm lips kiss his cheek. 

"Don't worry, honey. I'll bring you some breakfast." Sakura purred sweetly against his cheek, making him want nothing more than to attack her again-- 

But, he had a job to do, and that job was unfortunately the most important one in the entire village. 

"Alright, I'll see you soon then?" He gave one last kiss, and the pinkette returned it twofold. 

"Stay hungry." Sakura giggled, then was attacked with a few more kisses before he reluctantly pulled away. 

"I'm always hungry." His eyes narrowed, and a smirk splayed across his lips before he slipped out of bed. 

"You and Naruto, I swear--" 

"I hope Naruto doesn't have the same cravings as I do." Gaara gave her a stern look as he got dressed for the day, and she laughed brightly at the accusation. 

"I'm not a 'snack' in Naruto's eyes, don't you worry your pretty red head." The pinkette waved her hand nonchalantly at him while he finally buttoned up his duster. 

He quickly combed his hair, walked over to her in a rush to steal a kiss, and then beelined towards the door. 

"Love you." He waved, and she called back to him. 

"Love you too." Sakura started to get up for the day right as he walked out the door, and fortunately for him he got to see her naked figure before closing the door behind him. 

\--- ... --- ... --- 

Sakura had brought him breakfast like she had said, and she had somehow figured out his favorite breakfast foods in a short span of time. They ate together in relative happiness, chatting about future work plans or other daily activities. 

Eventually she had to go to work, and she kissed him before she left. Leaving him full of butterflies while he nearly giggled to himself. 

He was happy. Truly happy, and it was showing in the way he worked too. Everyone seemed to notice how he was smiling, or laughing at the smaller things. Nothing could get him down. 

Suddenly the phone rang, and he answered it in afar more chipper tone than usual. 

"Kazekage Gaara, speaking." 

"Woah, someone's cheerful today!" The familiar voice of Naruto came through his reciever, and the redhead felt his smile grow bigger after hearing his best friend's voice. 

"It's a nice day out today is all. How can I help you, Naruto?" While he chatted, Gaara also made use of the time to go over some papers. He took a sip of coffee-- 

"I was just wondering how 'entertaining' Sakura was going?" 

The redhead coughed a little bit on the hot coffee before swallowing. 

"She's doing just fine. In fact, she seems quite happy today." Gaara answered, but listened closely as silence followed. 

".... Happy, you say? Hmm." The blonde sounded suspicious. "Both of you being so chipper on the same day? Sounds a bit fishy--" 

"Naruto, stop. Even if she were sleeping with me it wouldn't be any of your business--" 

"AH-HA!!! YOU ARE SLEEPING WITH HER!! I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT!" Naruto screeched into the phone, hurting the redhead's ear. 

"I said 'if she were', I never said that she was." Gaara rolled his eyes, but the blonde seemed to be energetic today. 

"Admit it. You guys are getting cozy. I know Sakura, and the last time I talked to her all she could talk about was you. She only does that with guys that she likes." Naruto made a valid point, that there were other signs aside from a dirty rag magazine article that could prove that their relationship wasn't platonic anymore. 

"What do you want me to say, Naruto?" The redhead groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. 

"The truth! I want to know what the heck is going on, especially if I have to deal with another media meltdown I need to be prepared. I'm not going to curse anyone out like last time, I promise." The blonde bartered, and Gaara felt himself sinking into the wiles of his most treasured friend. 

"...The truth." The redhead took a breath, and listened to the palpable silence on the other end. "Your... assumption... is correct." 

He heard something click, possibly Naruto's jaw unhinging in disbelief. 

"You guys really are hooking up--?" 

"Please, do not spread word about it. It's... not as nefarious as you think." Gaara murmured gently, and the blonde kept his demeanor calm. 

"You guys going steady, or just fooling around?" Naruto pressed, but all it did was make the redhead flustered. 

"I like her more than just someone to fool around with... it's more than just sex." The redhead spoke more quietly this time, and his friend seemed to follow his example. 

"You love her?" The blonde asked. 

"....Yes." Gaara answered honestly. 

There was a moment of quiet. Just the sound of the phone slightly buzzing with an electrical current. 

"That's... really cute Gaara--!!!" 

"Eh!! Don't shout like that! And don't act like you're some sort of proud matchmaker either!!" The redhead practically slammed his fist on the desk while the man on the other end of the line laughed. 

"So, when did it happen? Spill-spill!" Naruto chirped. 

"Uh... well... it's been steadily building for a while. It wasn't until very recently that we both acknowledged it--" 

"Okay, but who REALLY started it? Like, who kissed who first, etcetera." The blonde seemed to be very excited by the news, which was funny as he wasn't too cheerful about it over a week ago. 

"Uh... well..." Gaara swallowed back some initial nervousness of the topic. "I had been... um... involved with someone else. Loosely. Very loosely." 

"You were fucking around--" 

"In not so eloquent terms, yes. Well, Sakura found out, and realized that she didn't like the idea of me seeing anyone. I sort of... comforted her... and told her that she meant more to me than the person I had been... 'involved' with." The redhead tried to keep the conversation as polite as possible, but his best friend was anything but. 

"So what, Sakura is chill with that and you guys just start banging--?" 

"NO. No. We aren't just--- gah!! Naruto, I swear talking with you can be the most wonderful and yet horribly frustrating experience--!" 

"Gosh, Gaara. You're beginning to sound like my wife." Naruto practically snorted on the other end. "Who kissed who?" 

"I kissed her." Gaara answered tightly, and got a wolf whistle as a response. 

"Gaara, you dog--!" 

"I'm hanging up. Have a good day, Naruto." 

Before the blonde could say anything further the redhead had hung up the phone, only to have it ring again. He picked it up with a frown. 

"Naruto, I'm not talking about this anymore--" 

"We need to talk." It was a woman's voice on the other end of the line, but he couldn't quite place a name to it. 

"Who is this--?" 

"Kiku, from the Ninja Star. I have something very interesting in my hands right now that I need you to check out." Despite her words sounding playful, her tone was anything but. 

"I'm quite busy today, perhaps we can schedule a meeting some other time?" Gaara urged, but the woman wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. 

"If you don't come down here right this second you're going to be in some really deep shit. I'm not joking, and it is not a threat. I'm literally trying to protect your ass right now, believe me." 

The redhead blinked in shock over her words, but deemed it serious enough to agree to her terms. 

"It better be important, Kiku--" 

"Unfortunately I wish I could disappoint you this time, but that's just not the case. I can't even talk about it with the rest of the office so get down here now." 

The other end of the line went dead, and with groan he got out of his chair. 

'This had better be serious.' 

\--- ... --- ... --- 

Alone in her office, she quietly handed him what looked to be a compact disc. 

"Forgive me, I've already seen what's on it." Kiku murmured gently with her eyes to the floor, although he could see a slight blush grace her cheeks. "I kind of regret watching it, to be honest. Now I can't even look at you in the eye." 

'Uh oh.' He began to fear the worst, and turned the disc around in his hands. 

"May I use your laptop to watch this?" Gaara asked gently, and the brunette blushed a bit deeper. 

"Um, sure. Just... for God's sake don't download it on there. I might not be able to get rid of it--" 

"Is there a virus on it?" He asked, but she quickly shook her head. 

"No, I just know I'd never have it in me to delete it. Despite the content being a bit disturbing... I'm still a fan." At that Kiku looked up, and gave him a suggestive wink. "I'll let you watch it privately, once you're finished I'll come back in, and we can discuss what needs to be done." 

She exited the room, and he was left in silence turning a compact disc around in his hands. 

There was no way he was going to be mentally prepared for it, so he went ahead and brought the disc over to the laptop. With a tight inhale he pushed it into the slot, and sat down in her chair to await his doom. 

A window popped up on the screen, and his eyes were trained on it. At first it was a curious thing, just a video of an empty bedroom-- 

No, it was Matsuri's bedroom, and after a few seconds they both seemed to enter into her space. She had tried to say something flirtatious, but he had quickly silenced her in what seemed to be a passionate kiss. 

He already knew where this was going, and sure enough the video showed him and Matsuri having more than just casual sex. Gaara placed his head into his hands, realizing he was going to have a sex scandal on his hands. 

But then he heard her voice-- 

"Gaara, we had a lot of fun together, but now you're trading me in." 

He looked up to see a bitter brunette speaking into the camera. 

"You meant so much to me. You were my teacher... my king... and my lover, but then you just threw it all away. I hope you suffer for it." Matsuri didn't cry, but her face was plenty furious. "And I hope 'she' suffers too." 

Suddenly the video changed, and it showed the camera entering his room. It was empty inside, but the shower seemed to be running. 

"Shit." Gaara cursed to himself as he watched the camera move over to the bathroom door. 

The door opened, and a hand reached over at the folded pile of clothes finding Sakura's hospital ID card, and showing it to the camera before silently leaving the bathroom. The camera panned the room, showing off things that definitely belonged to him, like his kage robes for example. 

"She's taking showers here, huh? I bet the slumber parties are just wonderful." Matsuri's voice scoffed quietly before moving to leave the room. "Well, there you go. The Kazekage is fucking that nasty leaf whore, Sakura Uchiha. Hope they both get destroyed for it." 

The video ended abruptly, and his mouth was slightly agape at the amount of animosity there was. He popped out the dvd, and tapped his fingers against it as he tried to ingest what the hell it was that he just watched. 

Kiku knocked at her own door before peeking in, not much of a warning but it was still appreciated. 

"You okay?" She walked in with a worried expression, closing the door behind her. 

"Is this the only copy?" The redhead rubbed his temples, and the woman before him shrugged. 

"No clue. She just came in with a shit eating grin telling me that she had the story of a century." Kiku sighed, sitting in the chair across from her own desk. "We hit you the hardest during the last scandal, so it makes sense that she brought that video here." 

There was silence, and his brain was racking itself to find a solution to this very frightening problem. 

In all honesty he could handle a sex scandal, it actually wasn't that rare amongst celebrity shinobi. There were a fair amount of kage that had fooled around for one reason or another, especially if they weren't married. 

What scared him was what this could do to Sakura, especially since she was considered to be freshly widowed. The rumors and accusations could go absolutely wild, and he kept seeing the image of her ashen body laying in a pool of bright blood-- 

His anger was beginning to seep out, and it was visually apparent by the way his sand started crushing the DVD into shiny dust. 

No, Gaara would not allow for Sakura to be hurt by this. He would take care of the threat himself. 

"Thank you for your mercy, Kiku." The redhead spoke softly, but his aura was screaming violence. "I will repay you for your kindness soon... but right now I need to take care of something urgently." 

The brunette stared at him, her face beginning to pale as his sand started to surround him. 

"What are you going to do?" Kiku spoke hesitantly, but he could understand the fear. 

When he was truly upset he knew what he looked like. It was a piece of him that he could never completely erase, and he would lean on old habits if pushed far enough. 

"I'm going to do whatever is needed to keep Sakura safe." A familiar dark smile started to spread across his face, and he had to cover it up with his clenched fist in able to keep from scaring the woman further. Sadly, this was also an old habit when he was pushed over the edge. It wasn't even caused by any form of sick glee or anything of the like, it was more-so the leftovers of his time consumed by madness. A body reaction due to slipping back into an old groove, and nothing more. 

Without bidding any farewells Gaara transformed into dust slipping out through the open window, and disappeared with the wind. 

\--- ... --- ... --- ... --- 

It didn't take long for the sand to carry him to her apartment, and as he materialized he could hear movement going on inside. She was definitely home, and she seemed to be walking about. 

No, not walking, skipping. She was _skipping_. 

Gaara knocked, and waited as he heard footsteps approach. The door opened confidently, but her smile instantly dropped when she saw who was on the other side. 

"Hello, Matsuri." The redhead's words were almost too sweet sounding, and would set off red flags with any normal person. "I'm so glad you are home. I was hoping we could have a little chat." 

The brunette gulped, her face losing color with each passing second. He gave her an almost sugary smile, and it was offputting enough that he could see her hand trembling on the doorknob. 

"May I come in?" Gaara pressed, still smiling brightly at her. 

"I-I... d-don't think th-that's s-smart--" 

"Oh, it will only be for a few minutes." The redhead placed a tensed hand on the door to keep it open, but kept his face cheerful. "I really insist." 

Matsuri was shaking now, and a light sheen of sweat had started to gleam on her skin. Clearly she was afraid, and deep inside him it filled him with a twisted sense of justice. She stepped aside with an ashen face, and his smiled widened even further. 

"Thank you." Gaara stepped in confidently, more than his usual regal swagger, and casually took off his shoes as she shut the door. 

"My lord--" The brunette started nervously. 

"Don't you dare think about calling me your 'lord'." The redhead snapped, but straightened calmly after placing his shoes neatly off to the side. 

Her brown eyes were on him then, wide eyed and frightened as he never spoke so cruelly to her. She opened her mouth to retort, but ended up shutting it as her eyes darted to the floor dejectedly. 

"You're... really mad..." Matsuri almost whispered, and he actually scoffed. 

"'Mad' is a soft term for it, try absolutely livid." Gaara hissed, and walked away from her to go into her bedroom not failing to notice her following him anxiously while wringing her hands. 

He found a camera on her nightstand, and snatched it up in a vice grip. 

"Is this the camera you used?" The redhead asked almost gently, and when she nodded he gave a soft exhale. 

In a millisecond he had whipped the tech so fast past her face that it nearly exploded on the wall behind her. The whites of her eyes were clearly visible as she started to shake uncontrollably. 

He didn't care, all he could see was Sakura dying at his feet. All he could see was her blood. The vivid color of red. 

"Do you understand what would have happened had that information got out?" Gaara was suddenly calm again, and walking slowly about the room looking for any other cameras or discs he could break. Breaking her things seemed to surprisingly let off a bit of steam. 

".... N-no...." The brunette started to sniffle, and he knew the water works were about to start up. 

He closed his distance to her, and held Matsuri's shoulders as he leaned into her face. She turned away out of shame, but he didn't care how much it intimidated her. He wanted this approached to be as intimate and threatening as possible. 

"She would have been harassed by the masses. Sakura has already attempted suicide before, and I know that she wouldn't be able to handle something like that right now." The redhead tightened his grip on the woman's shoulders, and watched her wince. "You better be grateful that I stopped those videos from getting out, because had you assisted in her next suicide attempt I would have slaughtered you." 

It was then that the brunette started frantically crying, and a part of him started to crack from it. He had never seen her so distraught. 

Gaara didn't actually hate Matsuri, he was just so appalled by her behavior. She had stated before that if he had found someone else that it would be fine with her, as she didn't want to deal with a public relationship with him. He had tried so many times to urge their relationship to move forward, but she was never on board. Never supportive of anything except the bed they occasionally shared. He told her he needed more than that countless times, and yet she never seemed to care or understand that fact. 

He still loved her in a way, he loved the good memories with her, but now their relationship was toxic, dangerous, and he had to put a stop to that. 

"I know you don't hate Sakura." The redhead sighed, and loosened his grip on her. She nodded tearfully in agreement with him, and it hurt him enough that he had to look away. "You knew this was coming. You knew I couldn't live fully with the relationship we had." 

More tears, and while it grated at his heart he still continued. 

"You had the audacity to tell me I should sleep with you on the side. You insisted that I should cheat on whoever I chose to spend my life with because that's what worked best for you. That's wrong, Matsuri. You know that was wrong." Gaara finally looked, and her blubbering features made him feel guilty despite the fact that she had initially caused him, and potentially Sakura, a great deal of pain. 

"D-did... y-you e-ever... l-love... m-me?" The brunette heaved her breaths, making him almost wince at how hard he had made her cry. 

He couldn't lie to her now, not that he ever did before. He had always been honest with her. 

"... No. You never gave me room to." The redhead murmured, and not only heard but watched her fall to her knees in a fit of tears. 

She was sobbing so hard that snot was pouring out of her nose, and while it would have grossed out a normal person Gaara knew that she was just terribly hurt. He knew he couldn't leave her in this state, and yet he came here with the intention of having an all out fight with her. 

'I couldn't argue with her like that even if I wanted to. The second she started crying was the moment all of my rage went out the window...' The redhead sighed, and with a light scratch behind his head he finally made a more logical decision. 

"Here, let's get you off the floor." Gaara furrowed his naked brows in a melancholy way, but held out one hand for her to grasp. 

Unlike Sakura, the brunette quickly took hold of his arm, and like a child she pulled herself up just so she could hug him tightly around the waist while crying into his chest. 

"I'm so sorry!!" Matsuri blubbered, and with a sad smile he patted her head. 

"No, I am sorry. I didn't ever want you to feel like this. I lost my temper, and I should have calmed down before approaching this matter today." The redhead gave her a small pat on the back, and then began guiding her out of the room. "Let's just sit down, we can talk about this calmly over a cup of tea." 

Gaara guided her down the tiny hall, and over to her small dining table that could seat up to four. He rubbed her back for a moment, and placed some napkins in front of her to dry her eyes. 

He knew her apartment well from staying over so many times. He prepared the kettle, and the tea cups-- 

A knock at the door alerted him, and since the brunette was still crying he decided to take it upon himself to answer it. 

With a confident hand he opened up the door, but what awaited him on the other side had him frozen. Jade eyes stared back at him with a million thoughts passing through them while pink lips parted in disbelief. 

'.... Shit.' 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrong place wrong time? Or perhaps right place right time? Let me know how you feel, or what you think will happen next. 
> 
> Do you agree with how our man handled this? How would you have responded? Let me know in the comments :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is some crazy love triangle drama here, catfighting, harassment, bullying, hurtful/spiteful insults, instigation, and some domestic assault (it's light in my opinion, but still considered domestic assault). I do not condone any of these negative behaviors IRL, and if you or anyone you know is experiencing anything of the like please seek help. Thank you.

"Gaara..." Sakura nearly whispered his name in shock. He was just standing there looking as if he had seen a ghost-- 

'Or had just gotten caught red handed.' Her inner self chimed bitterly. Her jade eyes narrowed then, and her blood started to reach a high temperature with her oncoming rage. 

"Wow." The pinkette suddenly felt the poison dripping from her own lips, and she even scoffed for added affect. 

"Sakura, it's not what you think--" 

"Oh really? Why else would you be over here in the middle of the daytime, hmm? Because to me it looks like you used work as an excuse to go out, and get some side action!" Sakura hissed, and started to turn on her heal. "I can't believe I fucking fell for your romantic bullshit--!!" 

Suddenly she was yanked into the apartment by her arm, and once the door slammed, blocking her way out, she quickly turned on him. 

"LET ME OUT--" She tried pulling her arm out of his grasp, but his grip was like that of death; completely unforgiving. 

"I will once you listen to me." The redhead was surprisingly calm, but she just didn't want to hear it. 

"No!! You're a liar!! YOU LIED!!" The pinkette wrestled arms with him, and when he just wouldn't let go she finally lost her cool. 

Sakura didn't exactly know why she did it, but she slapped him so hard and fast that his head turned. The area of his cheek that she connected with had already started reddening, yet he still remained incredibly calm. Particles of sand went to caress the area, and it only made her guilt heavier. 

In both of their stunned silence she heard sobbing coming from the kitchen around the corner, and she realized quickly that something was off about the situation. If he was actually cheating on her with Matsuri then she knew that the brunette would have come forward to rub it in her face, but instead the younger woman was crying on the other side of the wall. 

It was then the pinkette knew she had made a horrible mistake, and it showed in her expression. Thankfully he wasn't too upset with how she had responded. 

"I came here to confront her. She was going to reveal our relationship to the public, and I knew if that happened all hell would break loose." Gaara murmured gently, and slightly adjusted his jaw before speaking again. "I came here to protect us... to protect you. I'm sorry." 

Sakura's eyes watered, but she refused to let any tears fall for the time being. She felt so guilty for hitting him, and for not taking the time to listen to him. He wasn't the playing type, she knew he didn't want that type of life, and yet she quickly jumped to conclusions like a fool. However, he could have told her immediately what was going on. 

"Next time... tell me if something is going on instead of trying to handle it yourself." The pinkette murmured, and looked to the floor dejectedly, as she was unable to handle her own shame. "Besides... if we get caught... it doesn't really matter to me anymore." 

"Sakura." The redhead murmured quietly, shifting his weight anxiously on his feet. "Would it be alright if we talked about this later?" 

Sakura didn't want to say 'yes' as she honestly didn't want to deal with that particular topic, but she nodded anyways knowing it would ease him some. 

"Also... why are you here?" Gaara gently urged for answers, and once again she really did not want to inform him of her initial plan. 

The pinkette had actually come because Matsuri had left a rather terrible note for her when she had gotten to work. In her locker she found an envelope addressed to 'Leaf Slut'. Such a clever, and well thought out insult; she had initially rolled her eyes at it. 

This letter was not pleasant, and went into great detail on how Matsuri was better than Sakura, and that Gaara was simply in a relationship with the pinkette because he had gotten bored. There were of course other slanders, graphic descriptions of the sex the brunette and the redhead had done together, but what really got her was the last bit... 

'Gaara doesn't need a wife, especially not a failure of a spouse like you. You claim you're a shinobi, but a real shinobi would be able to handle the death of their husband. Instead you're just a worthless parasite, sucking the time and energy out of our precious Kazekage under the guise of being in mourning. It hasn't even been a year, and you're already sinking your fangs into him! You're a disgusting whore. You can't even succeed in killing yourself! Go back to your empty home in backwater Konoha, where you belong.' 

That part hit her so hard that she actually had to find a dark corner to cry in. However, her tears had only lasted a short time before complete rage filled her entire being. She decided she would take matters into her own hands. 

"I actually came here to kick her boney ass." The pinkette was calm as she said it, but he could only gape at her. 

"What... what happened--?" 

"Oh, I got a lovely letter telling me I should stay a widow, and go back to Konoha to be alone. Of course maaany other things were said; things about you, you and her, you and me, me, her... you know. The usual petty bullshit." Sakura waved a hand nonchalantly at him, but as those words started to drill into her head once more she finally took a deep breath, and charged into the kitchen. 

Matsuri sat up looking like a drowned cat, and her face started to change to bitterness rather than sorrow. 

"Did you come to bite my head off? You mantis bitch--" She began, but Sakura refused to let her take the floor. 

"I could never do that, you're absolutely disgusting, and eating your delusional brain would make me ill." The pinkette spat back instantly, and watched the woman start to shake with anger. 

"You're such a whore." The brunette growled out, but it didn't phase Sakura much. 

"I really don't have time for this." The pinkette sighed, and right as Gaara entered she quickly stormed forward to snatch the brunette up by the hair. 

"Woah--! Sakura wait!!" The redhead went to go over to break it up, but she turned her face towards him with a death glare. 

"I'm not going to hurt her... much." Sakura huffed at him before looking at the wincing woman in her hands. "Just wait till I am finished, please." 

Just as he was about to protest she roughly pressed Matsuri's head to the kitchen table, and despite her being a well trained shinobi the brunette couldn't seem to get out of the hold. 

"If you ever come at me like that again, I will destroy you." The pinkette started, and when Matsuri opened her mouth to argue Sakura quickly slammed her head on the surface to stun her, but not hard enough to cause any substantial damage. "If you ever hurt Gaara again, I will kill you. Do you understand me?" 

"--fuck you, bitch--" 

SLAM. 

A hard hit to the burnett's head on the kitchen table. Sakura felt his hands on her shoulders, but didn't understand what he was saying. She knew he was probably trying to stop her, but her rage was so out of control that there was no hope of stopping now. 

"IF YOU EVER HURT US AGAIN I WILL RETURN THE OFFENSE TO YOU TENFOLD. DO YOU UNDERSTAND??" The pinkette yelled in the woman's ear, and felt a harsh pull begin to form on her shoulder. 

"Sakura... please." The redhead murmured just above a whisper, and for his sake she let go of the other disheveled woman to literally wipe her hands of the situation. 

The brunette wasn't terribly hurt, but now her nose was bleeding. Sakura wondered if it was broken, but then again she also did not care. She hoped that she learned her lesson; do not challenge Sakura Haruno. 

"Gaara, I'll let you know right here, and now, this is a real threat. I will kill her if she so much as looks at me wrong, I am done. I refuse to get harassed at work, or anywhere else, and I deserve the chance to defend myself if she keeps making poor choices." Sakura turned, and pushed herself to walk out of the kitchen towards the front door. 

"So all you wanted to do was fight her--?!" The redhead followed incredulously, and she nodded in return. 

"Yup. Next time I'll take her out in the desert, and bury her." The pinkette huffed, then straightened to narrow her eyes at him. 

He seemed a bit offput by her behavior, but she honestly couldn't handle harassment right now especially since she was still so compromised. 

She could only handle so much now before breaking... 

"Gaara..." Sakura murmured woefully, and witnessed him instantly straighten. "If you don't take care of this... then I will... and if you stop me I will leave. Don't allow someone to actively hurt me just because you messed around with them once upon a time. I know I deserve to be treated better than that." 

She watched as the saddest expression overcame his features. He seemed to be deeply wounded by her words, but they had to be said. It had to be done. 

And he needed to finish it. 

The pinkette gave him a small heartbroken smile before quietly turning to leave, and just like how he always was Gaara didn't seem to have the right words to stop her. 

That was fine, he always had the right things to say once he thought hard about a situation. She would allow him time to respond. 

Sakura didn't want to break it off with Gaara, she actually loved him, but she refused to be at the mercy of an old fling. She refused to suffer any longer. She just didn't have the time or strength for such things anymore. 

\---- .... ---- .... ---- .... 

The pinkette had been laying in bed reading when she heard a knock at her door. She looked at the clock to see that it was past midnight, and knew that it had to be him. 

Sakura mentally prepared herself, and pulled back the covers to make her way out of bed. She padded across the cool sandstone floor, and took a deep breath to calm herself before opening the door. 

He looked sullen, and drained. 

"Can we talk, please?" Cyan eyes peered through smokey lids in a pleading way, and she knew then that she couldn't deny him. 

"Sure." The pinkette opened the door wide for him, and he slowly passed through. 

She closed the door behind them, but didn't venture any further into the room. Instead she looked at the floor, feeling herself drift away as she stared at the veins of different colored sands. 

"Matsuri understands what she did was wrong, and has taken it upon herself to go abroad to work for a while." Gaara murmured softly, she could hear the sound of his coat being removed. "I didn't ask it of her, she made it a point to leave." 

Sakura didn't want to speak, so she continued to zero in on the ground, dissecting it with her eyes. She heard his footsteps pad up next to her, and she could see them in her peripheral vision. 

"I'm sorry about earlier. I had tried to take matters into my own hands... I should have told you what was going on, but everything happened so fast. I had to react quickly." His hand came forward to brush some pink strands behind her ear, and she had to fight herself from recoiling from the touch. "I didn't want you to get hurt--" 

"I'm a big girl. I can handle my own battles." The pinkette pushed past him in a huff, and went to go straighten out her bedding as a way of distracting herself. 

"This wasn't your battle--" 

"Yes, it was!!" Sakura whipped around to yell at him while he stood there looking stunned. "She came at 'me', Gaara! So yes, it became my fight!!" 

The redhead sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. 

"So you're just going to pummel any sand shinobi that comes between us? They could send you away for something like that--" 

"Well clearly I have to do it since you won't." The pinkette hissed, and went into violently fluffing her pillows. 

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Suddenly his voice was right behind her, and she felt her face wither with annoyance. 

"Just admit it. You have burried yourself so far into your diplomatic work that you have no spine left." Sakura let the venom drip from her lips, and heard him scoff behind her. "You're so easily pushed over it's sad. When did the most terrifying man in all of the land of wind turn into such a paper pusher? You used to scare me, now I can only wonder if you can even make me startled-" 

Suddenly she was forcefully turned, and made to face his burning glare. His hands on her shoulders were harsh, and heated. 

"Funny you should say that when you can't even look me in the eye." His tone was deep, but his breathing was calm. She knew she was pushing buttons she really shouldn't, but she wanted to know just how dark he could go. 

She wanted to find that person from so long ago, that person who could be wild enough to keep up with the rage she carried now. Her heart was drenched in madness, and she needed the company terribly less it completely consume her. 

She needed him to be her outlet. Just this once. 

"Alright, I'll look you right in the eyes then." The pinkette took another step towards him, until she was close enough to only see his eyes. "You've gone soft. You're just a shell of what you used to be, and you dissapoint me." 

He was breathing calmly, but she heard something clatter to the floor. Her eyes darted to the sound, and she found his sand seeping out of the gourd on his hip with the cork rolling away from them on the ground. Her gaze went back to his with a raised brow, a bit astonished that he would let words get him riled up enough to even release his power. 

"Aw, did I hit a nerve? Are you actually going to try to threaten me with that pitiful thing on your hip--?" 

"I am warning you, stop pushing me." The way he said it actually had her hairs beginning to stand on end, and yet she felt a thrill from it. It was a dangerous feeling that she hadn't felt in along time, something that she had buried away in her training. 

Fear, it made her feel alive. 

"I'll stop pushing when you prove to me you're not some little yipping lap dog." Sakura gave him a dark smile, but his anger only worsened. 

"I don't want to hurt you--" 

"Try it, _bitch_. I dare you." The pinkette narrowed her eyes knowingly, and watched something break inside of him. 

He finally snapped. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. Ooooof. The drama continues. What do you think should happen next? Thoughts, feelings, opinions? Let me know in the comments.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Heckin' violent, angry sex. It's not all bad though ;)

All of the lights went out, the curtains drawn with a rush of air and sand; sending the pair into darkness. She felt the grains whip past her, giving her a few cuts before racing back into his gourd on the chair that she could just barely see. Suddenly she felt a harsh push to her chest, and it was so startling that she actually let out a sharp yelp. 

Her eyes were on the ceiling now as it seemed to turn, her fall caught by her mattress. The bed dipped around her, and she could hear his heaving breath as his hands handled her roughly. Cyan eyes were glinting in the dark, but she could still see them glaring at her. 

She didn't fight him when he started ripping her shirt off, and although it was discomforting she still anticipated every rough movement. Gaara nearly tore the shorts off of her legs, leaving accidental scratches from his nails on her hips. Suddenly he stopped, and a thick silence filled the air while her heart pounded in her ears. 

"I told you not to push me." His voice was calm, and yet there was a violent rage simmering just beneath the surface. She stared at him, studying his pale features in the darkness not failing to notice just how apathetic he looked. Emotionless, and yet incredibly intimidating; almost like a shark that had just smelled blood in the water. "You knew what I could do, you knew that part of me hasn't truly left. You knew, but you goaded me despite the fact that I am a fucking ticking time bomb. Regardless of how much time has past I will never be able to be fully healed, no matter what new information I have learned those traumas cannot be taken back. You know I will always be a monster, and yet you still _play with my emotions_." 

He manhandled her again, forcing a shriek to escape her throat. She was forced to lay down on his lap with her face to the mattress only to have him strike her bare buttocks hard. She gave a sharp scream from the harsh smack before his hand went into her hair, pulling on it until her head was back far enough for him to see her face. 

"Is this proof enough for you, or do you need more evidence?" The redhead growled then, giving one more yank to her hair to prove a point. "Surely this should be enough to show that you have tried my patience." 

No, it wasn't enough. She knew he could go darker, she wanted him to go darker. Her heart was racing so fast, and yet she was thriving on the adrenaline. He didn't scare her. 

"No. You're still holding back, coward." Sakura gave a sinister laugh, but screamed when he started wailing on her backside. 

She pulled a pillow up to her face to keep the sound from traveling too far. She didn't want anyone to interrupt his breakdown. When was the last time he could sink to this point? She knew he had a good amount of steam bottled up inside of him, and yet he was too scared to release it. She wasn't afraid, not of death or pain, he could be free of those contained stressors with her as his outlet, and she was more than willing to take his blows if not for him then for her own release as well. Pain and anger was something they both understood intimately, and it was as familiar as it was oddly comforting. 

When her bottom began to feel numb she couldn't find it in her to scream anymore, and he stopped the moment no more sounds were heard. She listened to his heaving breaths, as if he were trying to keep something powerful contained. 

"I'm so sorry... this wasn't what I wanted to do..." Gaara breathed out his words, but she only felt her anger return. He was trying to hold it back, but she wanted him to be completely unchained. 

"There you go again, apologizing." The pinkette pushed herself out of the pillows, and turned her dishevelled head to glare at him with watery eyes. "You can't even punish someone properly. You're so weak--" 

Her body was lifted off of him, and then thrown onto the mattress with force she didn't expect from him. The redhead was on top of her like a wild wolf, growling and snarling while practically clawing at her naked frame. He was beautiful like this, truly wild and untamed. He bit down on her shoulder, and when she cried out he bit even harder. Her fingers scraped at his porcelain arms, and when she drew blood his sand immediately swarmed the area to attack. Somehow he managed to will it away before it could do much damage, then snatched up a fistful of her hair to hold her down. 

"That smart mouth of yours needs to stay quiet." He gave a low, and threatening growl. 

His body was strong, toned chest rising and falling with his breath. Even in a state of stillness his body language screamed dominance. She watched in the darkness as his free hand reached for the fastenings of his pants, and she knew then what he planned to do, she was just surprised that he was getting that balsy. 

"You think I'm going to just suck you off? You don't deserve it--" 

"You don't get a choice." The redhead snapped back at her, and she finally began to feel as if she was being put in her place. 

His assertiveness made her excited beyond belief, and she had never experienced so much energy from anything like this before. It was enough to make her want to do anything he demanded from her, just as long as he stayed like this. 

This was the monster she had wanted to see, this dark person who secretly loved to torture even though his empathetic heart couldn't normally handle the strain. He was beautiful, dangerous, and as raw as he could be. 

No more politics, no more well worded sentences, or logical thought. She wanted him to pull from the base of his reptile brain, and expose all of the horror to her. She wanted to know she wasn't alone with her dark dreams; thoughts that accrued over time from the wear of the job. They were soldiers before they were ever meant to live peacefully, and she didn't want to forget that. If anything, she needed to feel it once more; a physical, violent threat. 

She wanted the danger to make her feel more alive. 

Gaara released a painful erection, and kneeled somewhat over her head. Using her hair he pulled her forward, and rubbed the tip against her lips. 

"Open your mouth." He ordered, and with her eyes gazing up into his she executed the demand. She even stuck her tongue out for added effect, and he seemed to appreciate it. "You're going to swallow every last drop, and if you don't I will punish you for it." 

She nodded with her lips open, and was quickly forced to take him deeply into her mouth and throat. She coughed on it, but then got into the swing of things as he started roughly forcing her head up and down his shaft. 

She savored the taste of his skin, the essence leaking from his flushed tip, the sharp pain from the strands of hair being roughly pulled. Her head was beginning to ache from it, but she just didn't care, he had full control and that was what she wanted. His hips rolled repeatedly as her mouth sucked hard, and he gave a wanton groan as each pass seemed to be greater than the last. 

"You forced my hand." The redhead groaned, and started to break a sweat as she continued bobbing her head with his motions. "You did it... on purpose..." 

With a free hand she massaged everything she couldn't fit in her mouth, and it seemed to surprise him that she was willing to take this act a step further. The pinkette wanted to please him, and with her efforts he almost melted from the attention. She could hear his moans go up in register, and she knew he was getting close. 

Sakura lifted her jade eyes up to look at him, and found him to be gazing back at her. His naked brows were stitched together in ecstacy, his mouth open and panting desperately for air, and every now and then he would moan or sometimes even whimper. 

Despite Gaara's earlier viciousness, he seemed so harmless now; weakened under her sinful ministrations. Another high filled her, and so her hands clung to his waist, hips, and backside. She opened her mouth just a bit bigger to let out a wanting, breathy sound. His body trembled under her touch, and a genuine cry of pleasure escaped his lips. 

The redhead was growing desperate now, truly manipulating her movements with his gripping hands on her skull. Eager hips started to roll to meet her lascivious lips. As his speed increased so did her suction, and he gave a sharp sound as his length suddenly released into her mouth. He was shaking, pulsing his viscous fluid until it coated her tongue and throat. She swallowed some of it, but desperately held onto the rest of the with her tongue. When he pulled out with a sigh she waited for him to come down, and his now lust glazed eyes looked her over carefully. 

"Did you swallow it?" Gaara panted huskily, and she decided that her moment had arrived. 

The pinkette stuck out her tongue to show him the semen that had gathered on it, and then flattened the muscle to let the fluid pour off of it and onto the bed. His glowing expression changed to irritation quickly, and she gave him a smart grin in response. 

"Fuck you." Sakura smiled ear to ear as he balked at her response. 

Moving quickly he once again manhandled her to lay over his lap, only this time he forced her to bend in a way that would leave the back of her thighs and vagina exposed. He smacked across them hard, and she screamed bloody before grabbing a pillow to cry into. Her body naturally tried struggling, but he held onto her hard enough to continue the torture. If she truly wanted to she could break free, but despite the burning pain she honestly wanted to keep going. She desired the sting, the burning pulsation, his firm hands throwing her around however he pleased. She had never felt so free, and yet she was contained and tortured. 

The pinkette began sobbing into the pillow as the pain became overwhelming, and as the real waterworks started she felt him give one last hard strike to her swollen pulsing sex before firmly rubbing in the pain. He ripped the pillow away from her to look at her tearful face, but kept his mouth in a firm line. 

"You're wet." For a moment he seemed to still be angry, but then a sly smirk made it's way across his features. "You should be ashamed of yourself." 

Sakura rubbed her thighs together with a small blush, she could feel the essence dripping down on her tender flesh. Her legs slipped against each other easily as the lubricant seemed to spread. 

With her head turned back she watched him place his fingers on her drenched folds, and felt him enter three with ease. With his eyes locked on hers he began pumping them, and when she went to turn her head foreward his free hand yanked her back by her hair to force her to keep eye contact. 

"You will look at me for the entirety of this, do you understand?" The redhead growled at her, and she nodded obediently. 

He pushed his hand to pump faster, and she nearly sobbed from how good it felt. Her tender flesh was still pulsing and tingling from before, making her so sensitive that it took only a couple minutes for her to go from zero to a hundred. She screamed for him, and watched as his dark smile grew wider. 

She bucked back against his hand, and he removed the pumping fingers just to slap at her tender sex. Her body writhed in pain and intense pleasure, and the reaction seemed to bring him so much enjoyment that he held her down to smack at her raw genitalia once more. 

The pinkette screamed, cried, and begged him to stop only for him to give one last sharp slap before rubbing in the pain. She could hear and feel his hand slipping over the dripping wet folds, and bucked when he began making firm circles around her sensitive pearl. 

"Gaara... please..." Sakura panted and whined as her clitoris now became thoroughly abused. 

"You don't get to finish until I allow it." Gaara moved his fingers faster, and her entire body seemed to burn from the action. 

She bucked and sobbed, but right as she felt like she was going to cross over that edge he quickly pulled his fingers away. She screamed in frustration, and turned around to yell at him about it, but he quickly pushed her back onto the mattress with harsh force. 

"You need to apologize for earlier." The redhead stated, and held his fresh erection in his hand. "Now, make it up to me for not swallowing." 

The pinkette blinked at the pulsing length at first, but then approached it without arguement. On her hands and knees she placed her mouth around it once more, and began bobbing her head without his assistance. 

Gaara sighed, and played with her hair gently this time; running his fingers along her scalp in a combing motion. It was so soothing that she panted, and sighed along his erection. His eyes were steady, and focused on her own. His naked brows were slowly stitching together with every sweet pass of her flushed mouth. 

"Sakura..." The redhead nearly whimpered, and when she hummed along his length he gave a needy groan. 

She knew he was cooling down, and while normally that would be fine she honestly wanted him at his worst. So once she got a few more passes in she let him drop from her mouth, and backed away from him with a wicked grin. 

At first he displayed confusion, but soon he came around to the fact that she was being defiant on purpose. 

"Get over here, now." Gaara pointed to the spot that she was just in, and she shook her head gleefully while biting her lip with excitement. The redhead blinked at the gall she had, but the astonishment and humor quickly changed to something serious. 

Sakura watched as he slowly reached for his shirt, pulling it over his head sinfully before tossing it off to the side. Her eyes drank in his well toned porcelain image, practically glowing in the pitch of night. 

Suddenly her arms and legs were snatched by his sand, binding her down to the bed. She gave a small struggle, but then noticed him hovering over her with a dark expression. 

"I think you want to suffer..." Gaara rubbed his erection over her slick folds, grinding firmly against her sensitive pearl. As she bucked and cried he seemed to find amusement from it, and brought his snickering features closer. "I'm going to enjoy torturing you." 

The pinkette jolted with every roll of his hips, not failing to notice how effortlessly he glided against her. His hands also took turns holding him up, and playing with her breasts. At one point his hand danced along her collarbone, making her give an anxious gasp.   
He noticed this, and as he moved the appendage upwards her harsh breathing worsened. 

"Oh? I think you're scared now..." The redhead purred right as he got to her throat, and watched her pant like she had just ran a marathon. "I've taken your mobility away... perhaps if I take your oxygen you'll learn your lesson." 

Sakura whimpered right as his hand clamped down, and her airflow was instantly restricted. He picked up the pace of grinding along her slit, and as he started to grow closer his hand would tighten further. She tried desperately to catch her breath, but it seemed like she was always prohibited from taking a full inhale. 

Dizziness began to overwhelm her, and right as a wave of euphoria started to rise she heard him groan excitedly. She could feel the fluid pulsing against her tortured sex, and she started crying knowing that she would once again be forced to hold off. 

The hand on her neck released her, but it quickly snatched up her hair to pull firmly. She groaned, and cursed, her mouth panting with a lust she could no longer contain. She was forced to look into his smokey eyes at close range, almost blurring his glistening face from the proximity. 

"You want it... don't you?" Gaara's dusty tone washed over her like a spell, making her eager to play into his porcelain hands. "Humble yourself for me, and I might give it to you." 

She didn't have to bury her pride, he had disposed of it the second he had tapped into his older self, and she had been prepared to be rid of it anyways. 

"Please... Gaara... I want it so bad..." The pinkette panted desperately, and started writhing against the sand holding her down. 

The redhead's eyes shifted along her struggling frame with a dark smile of approval. He condescendingly snatched up her chin, tilting it upwards with just a few fingers. His thumb ran sinfully over her lips, parting them while she let her jaw go slack in his grip. 

"Who's the 'bitch' now?" His eyes went dark, but his sardonic smile remained. 

Normally something like that would make her infuriated, but the situation at hand made her completely willing to do anything he wanted, and if he wanted to humiliate her then so be it. She would lick his spit off the ground if he asked it of her. 

"I am." She said it more proudly than she thought she would, and it seemed to surprise him over how easily she gave that answer. 

"Is that so?" Gaara chuckled slightly, and allowed his free hand to wander her curves while his gaze followed in approval. "Well, as far as dogs go... you've been a very bad girl tonight. Disobeying me at every turn... yet presenting yourself to me as if you were in heat. It's disgustingly shameful, and yet I'm honestly enjoying this more than I should." 

His hand danced between her legs, dragging the mess he had made there up her stomach, and over her breasts. Her milky skin now glistened with the glaze of his cum, and his eyes hungrily devoured the image of her panting while covered in his essence. She wondered if this was a secret little kink of his that he had never shared with anyone before, the thought heated her up so much that she could feel the wetness between her legs start to drip down. 

"After all of the humiliation I've put you through, you seem to be eager to have me inside you. Honestly, Sakura, is your honor that far gone? What do you have to say for yourself?" His tone was no longer teasing, and his smile had disappeared. 

There was something inherently frightening about his glowing eyes, but she didn't let that stop her from playing his devilish game. 

"You... don't frighten me." Sakura breathed, and the air went silent between them. "Please, do your worst... I'm begging you..." 

The redhead took a deep, and calming breath, closing and opening his eyes very slowly. His gaze was so stern, and yet it was so beautiful that she felt as if they had entered their own dimension; a space made just for their sick passions. 

He smiled at her. 

"Good girl." Gaara's words were smooth, and his motions even more so as his body lowered down her own. The residue he had wiped over her chest was slowly licked away while her eyes followed his sinful tongue. 

Glowing aquatic eyes peered up at her from beyond her breasts as he took one into his mouth, sucking eagerly while she writhed. He continued to move down while the haunting sheen of his irises, and his stalking movements left her entranced; nearly breathless. He was like a predator, lowering his body in a velvety motion as his lips pulled back to show his teeth. He bit at her hip, and when she gasped he gave her a feral smile before lowering a bit further to nip at her inner thigh. Each time his eyes would dart upwards, surveying his own progress through her facial expressions. 

"Gaara..." The pinkette panted his name eagerly, her figure beginning to shift sinfully under his grip with anticipation. 

His eyes left her in favor of focusing between her legs. He lapped at the semen he had left behind there, dragging his tongue along her labia to make it clean again. It was strange, and yet it was one of the most erotic things she had ever witnessed in her entire life. 

Suddenly the sand dissipated from her wrists, and with that freedom she instantly went to grab at his red, minky hair. She savored the smooth yet thick texture, and gave gentle tugs that he seemed to appreciate with harsh pants of heated breath. 

"If you treat me right this time, I'll make it up to you, I swear it." Sakura bargained, fearing that this may be just another one of his teases. His laughter flayed against her tender skin, and he looked up from between her legs with a genuine smile that left her heart racing. 

"I can agree to that." He then narrowed his eyes knowingly. "However, I was going to let you finish this time regardless." 

"Wow, how kind of you." The pinkette scoffed at first, but then gasped right as his mouth descended. 

It was warmer than she expected, and yet instantly soothing. With arms wrapped firmly around her thighs Gaara was locked in place. His mouth and tongue eager to lick and suck, treating her most sensitive spot with great attention. He would make small circles, or flatten the muscle for a firm lapping. Occasionally he would slip down between her folds to taste her from the inside, it was a new, strange, and yet perfect sensation. The way he made her feel was beyond anything she had experienced before, and she made it known by religiously panting his name. 

The redhead was possibly a saint, or a demon, she couldn't tell which, but whatever Gaara was he did his work with excellence in mind. Never stopping, focused, and hyper aware of how she would react he tuned himself to what she loved like the dials on a radio. Sending endless tingles up and down her spine, then putting stars in her eyes while she writhed like a snake in his strong, yet sensuous hands. 

As she got closer to the edge her fingers began frantically clawing and pulling at his hair, her body rolled with the sensation until finally he placed a good amount of pressure and friction on her. Sakura screamed out into the dark, cursing and praying at the same time while he continued to push her through. He groaned over a painful pull of his hair, but never stopped even though his sand was starting to react to the discomfort. 

The pinkette tensed for one last cry, her heart pounding violently in her ears while the electricity burned her, then sank into the mattress completely relaxed. The world was quiet, and she was completely flushed. She was whimpering from the left over sensation, and readying herself to die from how overwhelming it was. 

"Don't pass out on me just yet." The redhead panted as he came back to kneeling between her legs. "We're far from finished here..." 

Gaara roughly pulled on her thighs until her hips matched up with his, but she didn't fight against him. She gave a few yelps as he put her ankles over his shoulders, and held up her hips with concentrated strength. 

"You wanted me to break free... you wanted the animal out of its cage..." The redhead primed another erection against her drenched folds, only this time he managed to slip in and fill her completely with a low groan. 

Sakura gasped, and whined all the while shifting in his forceful hands. Still holding her steady he slowly arched into her, making her nearly cry in delight. 

"You made a mistake in provoking me. I am not a creature you can just tame. You're not my handler, and you will show me respect. You'll learn that you are prey... right now..." Gaara panted wildly, sweat beginning to trickle down his temples as he picked up a faster pace. 

The pinkette heaved her breaths from how deeply he was inside her. His length was hitting in just the right spot to make her loudly cry out in a harsh curse. Her hands frantically found his tensed arms, and felt along the now rock hard muscles that kept her in place. Her fingers clawed at his forearms, but that pressure died in her as he started slamming his hips. 

Sakura knew she was screaming loudly, and she knew that she should have had a pillow for this, but she also knew that he preferred her this way. He wanted her raw, and physically broken. That was fine with her. 

"Gaara! Please!" The pinkette cried out, and felt his hips thrust so hard it slightly stung with every pass. 

The hands holding up her hips were bruising her flesh, and when she couldn't scream anymore she simply bursted into tears. 

"Yes yes yes--!" Sakura sobbed, and felt his arms beginning to quake in their effort to hold her. 

Suddenly he was slamming into her so hard it started to hurt, but since she was already so far gone that pain was simply glazed over her insane pleasure. She went silent, everything buzzing with colored spots appearing in her vision. Her eyes rolled back, and when she couldn't handle it anymore her body went limp like a ragdoll. 

Gaara gave out a teeth grinding cry, and trembled violently as he slowed. He was still arching into her, but not as vigorously as before. 

As she came back down she heard the light squelching sound of him repeatedly entering her. With a sheen of sweat covering his body he shakily let her drop away from him, and looked at his hands in confusion. 

"I've never gone that hard before..." The redhead attempted to breathe with his sentences, and also tried shaking the blood back to his brain. "Did... did I hurt you?.." 

As his eyes found her tear stained face he instantly seemed concern, so she tried smiling but her lips would quiver every time. Her entire body was trembling, as was his. She tried sitting up, but almost couldn't find the strength. 

"Sakura... I don't know what came over me... this has never happened before..." Gaara sat back on his haunches, and started to disassociate by looking at the bedding beneath him. "Damnit... I hit you.... so many times..." 

Although physically shaken, her heart pushed her to sit up to try crawling towards him. It was difficult trying to control her movements, what with her motor skills practically being fried by this point. He sat down further in a cross-legged position, and held his head in his hands. 

"I made you cry... I made you..." The redhead covered his face, so she seized that moment to climb up onto his lap. 

He flinched from the contact, and when she pulled his palms away from his eyes the cyan orbs danced over her figure with disbelief. She kissed him in the way he always enjoyed, and conveyed her feelings through the action; letting him know that she was fine. More than fine, in fact. 

His lips pursed back, parting here and there to take shaking breaths. Sakura started to taste salt, so she pulled away to see tears had dripped down his handsome cheeks. Her jade orbs took in the sight of him crying, finding him to still be an ethereal beauty even in the midst of regret and sadness. She kissed him once more with intense passion, lapping at his tongue while he gave trembling breaths through his nose. 

"You need to hit harder next time." The pinkette teased while biting his lip, and his shaking hands started to grope greedily at her frame. 

"Why?" Gaara croaked, sounding unsure, and while it made sense she also wanted him completely unleashed with no regrets. 

"How else are you supposed to baby me if I'm not all battered up?" Sakura purred devilishly against his lips, and guided one of his hands up to the bitten skin by her neck. "You got me pretty good here, though. I'm bleeding..." 

The redhead blinked incredulously, but the expression quickly transformed into curiosity. 

"You... enjoyed this?" His haunting orbs darted from the wound, and back to her hazy eyes. His hand came up to touch her cheek, and she leaned into the touch like a cat. 

"More than I thought I would." The pinkette breathed deeply to re-center herself, then kissed at the corner of his mouth. "You liked it too... didn't you?" 

Gaara said nothing, and even had to force himself to look away from her. His head dipped down to rest on her shoulder, seeming as if he might start moping. 

"I craved it... and I am thoroughly disgusted with myself for that. Hurting people should no longer bring me pleasure, and yet taking out my anger on you was exhilarating. It made me feel so relieved, but now all I feel is guilt." The redhead murmured, and touched her bleeding wound subconsciously. "You're precious to me... and yet I have treated you as if you were a prisoner to torture for my own selfish gains. How could I ever do something like that to someone I love--?" 

"Because I wanted that from you." Sakura answered him quickly, and forced his head off her shoulder to see eye to eye. "I pushed you for this, and I enjoyed every second of it." 

Gaara gave a pained expression, but held her lovingly while brushing his cheek against her own. 

"You're lieing--" 

"I'm not. It's the truth." The pinkette whispered into his ear, and felt him tremble. Her creamy hands danced along the beads of dewy sweat that had formed on his porcelain back and shoulders. 

"How can you say it felt good? I caused you real pain." The redhead started to grow upset, so she gently hushed him back into a calm state. 

"Want me to show you?" Sakura breathed the words gently, and felt him stiffen in her arms. 

He waited in silence for a while, but then gave a sad exhale. 

"I can't. My sand will hurt you--" 

"I'll heal from it." The pinkette used her strength then, focusing her power to push him down on the mattress. 

Gaara's coal rimmed eyes didn't look at her with fear, but they did with confusion. However, his curiosity grew as she ran delicate fingers down his glistening chest. She traced the toned musculature with great care, forcing his breath to hitch from how it tickled. 

Sakura admired his flawless body, drinking in the sight of porcelain skin that seemed to glow in the dark. Her dainty hands traced the grooves of his abdomen until she came to his groin, confidently taking his overworked length into her palm. 

"While I appreciate the attention, I don't think this is anywhere close to what I did to you." Haunting eyes watched her experiment, and play. His exhales calm, yet heated. 

"I need you hard for what I plan to do." The pinkette lifted her eyes up from her task, and gave him a knowing smile. "Unless you're only in it for the pain and discomfort? Because I can certainly cater to that--" 

"Ah-- no need. No, this is just fine. Thank you." Gaara gulped back humbly, and she couldn't help but giggle over how anxious he seemed. 

She played with him for a while, occasionally examining the specimen in her hand. Flushed, smooth, stunningly beautiful if she were to deem genitals as such. Weighty in her hand, especially the harder he became. Soon she got it standing at attention, and his little puffs of heated breath were starting to include small groans. 

Sakura stopped her actions, and hovered her body over his. Dark lidded eyes gazed on her with lust in their depths, and closed happily as she sank her body down to envelope him.   
The pinkette rode him, grinding her hips with him delightfully hard inside. She reached forward to touch his neck, and watched him tilt his head back to expose more. 

"Sakura..." The redhead purred, his breath hitching as she tightened her grip around his throat. 

Sand started to lick at her hands, scratching at her skin uncomfortably, but not causing any real lacerations. She bounced against him a few times, interchanging the motion with her rolling hips. 

While he felt fantastic she knew that this was to be tailored specifically for him, so she tightened her grip on his neck just to watch him groan and writhe beneath her. The sand started to attack her more thoroughly, but she stayed strong even as little cuts started to form. 

Sakura rocked her hips harder, and bounced every so often to give him the pleasure he desired. She could feel him swallowing and groaning underneath the weight of her grasp, but she refused to let go even as blood started to trickle down from the constant abrasion of sand. 

The pinkette moved faster, and gripped harder. Her hands bleeding strongly now as he bucked up against her. She cried out from the pleasure, and winced from the burning pain on her hands. 

Gaara started curse with every breath, his hands were gripping at her thighs for dear life as her walls milked him for everything he had while her delicate hands choked out every breath. She watched his eyes roll, and his dark lids flutter before a silent scream was made. He arched his hips up into her welcoming heat, and pulsed helplessly inside of her. She rode him until he had released every last drop, and only stopped when he sank deep into the bed. 

Bloody hands released their hold, and her features lit up as he gave the most relieved sound she had ever heard from him. 

"How was that?" Sakura laughed, focusing on healing her hands before he could truly notice the damage he had unwillingly caused. She knew that if he were to actually see the destruction his ultimate defense had made it would only push him into a deeper depression. 

"Guh--gro... goo... grood........ great." The redhead tried speaking, but could only communicate in psychobabble. 

The pinkette snorted out a laugh, and then dismounted him before breaking into further hysterical laughter. She laid on her side next to him, brushing the red locks out of his face with her freshly healed hands. 

His coal rimmed eyes peeked open to stare at her lovingly, and he shifted forward to catch her lips in a lazy kiss. 

"I love you." He spoke between kisses, forcing her to giggle and nod. 

"You're welcome." She snickered. "And... I love you too." 

They could talk more after a nap, right now she was too tired to think of anything to bring up anyways. She had made a mental note to always try to bed him when he was angry, though, and then fell asleep with a smug grin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what to do, head to the comments ;)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's happenin' y'all? Hope you guys are faring well. Here's some more smut for you. Enjoy.

Jade eyes opened to a bedroom dyed in dark red light, and a beautiful man sleeping peacefully in front of her. It was so early in the morning, and the crimson colors of the rising sun highlighted him in such an ethereal way. His red hair glowed with the similar shade of light, showing it's smooth yet messy texture. It was tousled from sex, and sleep; hanging over his blackened lids, and love shaped scar. 

What happened last night was so raw, it were as if she had closed the distance completely to his heart. Sakura wanted to play witness to every side of him, and she got her wish. No hiding, no shame, every card placed up and spread apart on the table. All was revealed. 

"I love you so much..." The pinkette murmured to herself, knowing he was in a deep sleep. Her delicate hand reached out to brush some crimson strands out of his face; lingering on his skin to savor it's soft texture. "This love is real, honest, and exposed. No secrets between us... no lies... just truth." 

Charcoal lids slowly opened to peer at her, his gaze was sleepy but still conscious. He blinked a few times, clearly ingesting her words as his mind tried to piece everything together. 

"If you want honesty... I will give it to you." Gaara spoke just above a whisper, but the way his lips moved had her hyper focused on them. "My heart is yours, Sakura. Every inch." 

Sakura leaned into kiss him, her body hungry for any affection he could give her, and he reciprocated with ease. 

This was something that she could never get from Sasuke, he was almost always emotionally detached whenever they were together. It were as if the Uchiha felt guilt with all the kisses they shared, and she could feel it every single time. With Gaara there was no guilt, only desperation. They could never be too close, and he only ever seemed to want to be closer. 

This was a relationship she could see herself having for the rest of her life. This was it; he had her locked and leashed. No other man could ever compare to him. 

"I love you." The pinkette breathed against his lips, then gasped as he pinned her down.   
The redhead was desperate now, kissing her feverishly while his hand adjusted one of her legs. 

"I need you..." Gaara panted huskily against her lips, his morning bedfellow now brushing against her bruised genitalia. "Sakura... stay with me..." 

Sakura's exhale was shaking, but she nodded her head regardless. She belonged to him, and he to her; there was no misunderstanding over that. 

"You know I will." The pinkette felt tears well up in her eyes, but she forced them back as he planted another passionate kiss to her lips. 

Suddenly there was pressure on her groin, and he entered her more easily than she thought possible. Her body, although thoroughly abused from last night, still took him more than willingly. Her hands gripped either side of his head, tangling in his tousled hair. She broke the kiss to give their faces space, she wanted to look him in the eyes. 

The pace was a slow start, gentle but powerful. She bit her lip with a pleasant hum, and his gaze flicked down for a moment to take in the action. Both hands held him up now, allowing him to give more movement in his hips rather than focusing on keeping himself balanced. 

"I want you to be mine... forever." His eyes went lidded with desire, her own jade orbs now entranced by the haunting sight. "Does that frighten you?" 

Her response was immediate, she didn't even have to think about it. She shook her head, showing him that his declaration didn't bother her in the slightest. 

"I want to be with you always." Sakura whispered at first, but the tone slipped into a whimper as he hit the perfect spot inside her. He placed a quick, lustful kiss to her panting lips before pulling away again. 

Gaara said nothing, but his eyes spoke a thousand words. Holding her gaze he continued to rock into her, forcing one of her arms to desperately cling to his sweating frame. He arched into her hard, forcing her to cry out. Her head went to turn to the side, but his gentle hand guided her back by her chin. His gaze pierced through her, and her cries grew increasingly louder. Every pleasurable sensation could be mirrored on his face, his naked brows stitched together in ecstacy while he continued a hypnotic beat. 

Colorful spots appeared in the outer edges of her vision, the sight of his exotic features started to blur as the pleasure began to overwhelm her. The coiling heat inside her spread throughout her body, making her writhe and move with him. Aquatic orbs continued to gore her, forcing her to whine out his name while he shivered at the tone. Her inner walls clamped down as the final wave crashed, her throat nearly screaming as he pressed his forehead gently against her own. 

Seafoam eyes... pale like an aquatic moon in a ghostly fog. All she could see was the moon surrounded by brilliant sparkling dust... 

Gaara called out her name, hissed his pleas through his teeth, and pulsed hard inside of her. He whispered curses, and as the words dripped from his dewy lips she dreamily kissed him. Marble smooth just like the rest of his body; he was a true work of art. 

They breathed each other's air growing dizzy from the heat, and lack of proper oxygen, but she didn't care. The pinkette was so taken with him that she could be suffocating to death, and still want to continue kissing him. 

After what seemed like the shortest yet longest time they finally parted, and those flushed lips sported a brilliant half smile that left her entire being weak. 

"You're so beautiful." The redhead laughed shyly, brushing her bangs from her damp skin. "I keep on experiencing these new things with you... and I'm almost compelled to shout out my love for you from the rooftops." 

Sakura laughed genuinely then, closing her eyes as she took a deep and calming breath. 

"I don't know if you could handle the drama that would transpire after that--" 

"I would handle anything the world throws at me to have a life with you." Gaara interjected with a loving look to his eyes, his hand still eager to stroke her cheek. 

The pinkette felt the devotion in his words, but it was still too soon. She wondered if he was thinking further down the road, more than just a secret romance and sex. Honesty was what she wanted from him, perhaps being transparent with him was best. 

"Gaara, what do you want from this relationship?" Sakura murmured gently, afraid of disturbing him with her question. "I know you want us to stay together... but what does that entail for you?" 

The redhead's smile faded a bit, and his once cheerful eyes lessened into something more sincere. With a deep breath he rolled off to the side, but she turned to face him as he collected his thoughts. 

"I want a relationship that I don't have to hide..." Gaara mumbled, and this time she rolled her eyes. 

"I know that, Gaara, but what else?" The pinkette pressed, watching him anxiously turn onto his back to stare at the ceiling. 

He took a few deeps breaths, then braced himself. 

"I want... I want what any man wants from the woman they love..." He started off quietly, then covered his eyes with his arm. "... I want someone who will stand by my side proudly, someone who isn't afraid to be seen with me, or who doesn't mind the responsibility of my title. I want a devoted romantic relationship..." 

There was silence in the air, and she felt anxious from it. 

".... You want to get married." Sakura spoke just above a whisper, and watched his entire form grow painfully still. Eventually he nodded, and with a sigh she mimicked him by rolling onto her back. "Are you wanting kids of your own, too?" 

Once again it went quiet, only this time she felt him turn to face her. She knew he was staring at her profile, but she was too embarassing to meet his gaze. 

"Only if you're willing to provide them. I will never press you for something like that." He answered. She felt a soft touch to her shoulder, and while it startled her she was still soothed by the sensation. 

"I'm not... I'm not ready for anything close to that..." The pinkette's lips went into a fine line as her chest started to ache. 

She didn't want to destroy his hope for the future, but she also didn't want to jump right into getting married again. Her first marriage was taxing enough, what with Sasuke never being there. She thought of having to raise a child by herself again, but then reminded herself that Gaara was more of the traditional type when it came to family. A former conversation with Temari proved that fact very well, as apparently he was depressed after she had left to marry Shikamaru. 

Gaara was a family man at heart, and that was clear to see. He enjoyed being a father to Shinki, and she wondered what he would be like with a baby. He'd probably dote on them non stop, grow overly concerned over their safety especially if they weren't an element user like him or Shinki. The redhead was a tender lover as well, when she wasn't pushing his buttons of course. So many things pointed to him, saying just how good he was for her, and yet she was afraid. 

What if she lost him? Kages traditionally didn't have very long life spans, and he had already died once before. She didn't know if she could go through that again. 

No... she couldn't even fathom it. It hurt far too much. 

"Sakura..." Her name sounded so good coming from him, and she had to look his way just to satisfy her yearning heart. His eyes held warmth in their depths, and his gentle touch gave her a whole world of comfort. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to... we don't even have to make this public. I understand your circumstances, and your past relationship. I won't pressure you." 

Sakura felt her heart crack, pushing her forward to capture his lips briefly before pulling away with a shaking breath. 

"I know you won't, thank you." 

  
\--- ... --- ... --- 

  
"What do you mean you 'need her back'?" Gaara spoke quietly into the phone, hearing only silence for a bit before the man on the other end sighed. 

"She has a daughter, Gaara. Sarada is starting to break down without her mother here." Naruto was gentle with his speech, but still stern. "She needs her mother... she is feeling like she has lost both of her parents, but she refuses to bring anything up due to the fact of Sakura being in such a fragile state." 

The redhead frowned, and then sighed before rubbing his temples. It was only a matter of time before this issue popped up, and he honestly couldn't take a mother away from her child just because he had fallen in love. It was wrong, and against his morals and values. Families shouldn't be split like this for any reason. 

"I'll let her know--" 

Just then his office door opened without a knock, and the woman of his affections walked in with a cheery smile. She carried what looked like a box wrapped in silk, and he realized then that she had brought him lunch. 

"I'll call you back later, I have some business I have to take care of." The redhead murmured into the phone, once again greeted with a brief silence. 

"Make it soon, Gaara. Every day Sarada gets a little bit worse." The blonde hung up then, leaving his friend with nothing but a dial tone. 

With a sigh he hung up, and tried to force out a smile as she brought him the home made lunch. 

"Political call?" Sakura beamed as she unwrapped the lunch, presenting it out before him in the form of a beautifully made bento box. 

"Yes." Gaara answered shortly, smiling in appreciation towards the meal. "Thank you for this, truly." 

"Mm, well you worked hard last night so I thought you'd might be hungrier today." The pinkette snickered as she finished setting up the meal, and then took a seat across from his desk. He went to take a bite of rice first, enjoying the slight vinegar flavor. "When I went to the bathroom this morning there was blood--" 

The redhead choked on his food, hacking before a cup of cold tea was forced in front of him. He drank it greedily before regaining his breath. 

"How?" Gaara stared at her owlishly, but she just seemed to laugh it off. 

"You were quite rough last night, so I'm not surprised if you tore anything." Sakura laughed sincerely, then pushed a napkin his way so that he could blot his mouth. "It doesn't really hurt though, and the tear should heal up in a couple days." 

The redhead stared at his food, then his sight darted to his hands. He glared at them, as if he could project his guilt and shame onto the appendages. He tried, but deep down he knew that everything that had transpired was more than just carnal urges, he knew 'exactly' what he had been doing. Despite how rough he had been, Gaara was in full control of himself when he did it, but his emotions hadn't been that strong in a very long time. He had almost forgotten how it felt to let them take over... 

"You speak of it as if it is something to be proud of, and yet I feel nothing but regret for my actions--" As he spoke his face was caressed and turned her way, a sly smile graced her features before she placed the most gentle of kisses to his lips. 

"I wanted to know every inch of you, and you only wanted to show me your best side. I wanted to take part in your worst; something that you haven't given any woman before me." The pinkette kissed him again, deeper this time. Cyan eyes widened at her words, but his body started to melt into her hypnotic kiss. It felt as if she might be stealing his breath away, but he didn't seem to care. 

The redhead ingested her words carefully, clearly Sakura wanted pieces of him that he refused to show others, and while it intrigued him it also worried him slightly. She knew what he was at his worst, and last night was not his worst. Last night he was maybe at a halfway point, if even that. The things he could do to a person were abhorrent, and not something that he wanted to invite into the bedroom, or his relationship for that matter. 

No, this was very concerning, and he had to nip this in the bud right now. 

"Sakura." Gaara broke out of the kiss with a heavy breath, trying to avoid being roused by her flushed features. "I don't want to ever repeat what happened last night. I can't do it." 

And there it was, the hurt and dissapointment; plainly etched on her beautiful face. It didn't take long for her to sit down in her chair with a huff, her arms crossed stubbornly over her chest while she pouted at him. 

"We had a fantastic time last night--" She began to say, but he quickly shook his head. 

"I hurt you. That is not fantastic for me." The redhead argued, and she visibly bristled. 

"Excuse me, but--" Sakura leaned forward, and opened up the collar of his coat to reveal the marks she herself had left behind. "I hurt you too, and it seemed like you 'really' enjoyed it." 

Gaara flinched at that, partially forgetting that part initially. Perhaps he simply didn't want to bring it up, especially since he knew she was right. 

The redhead knew what pain and discomfort felt like, but since he rarely felt them it was different when moments like those did happen. He would try to savor the pain a little bit just because of it's foreignness. It was another reason why he kept up on his workout routine so diligently, more than just for work reasons he secretly enjoyed the burn and soreness from overexertion. It was the only way his sand allowed him to feel pain and discomfort. The pain was almost refreshing, as if it were some sort of release. 

Was it the same for her? But she could feel pain at any time, why even go to such extents for something she could feel at any moment? 

The pinkette moved to his arms next, and rolled up one of his coat sleeves. He looked down in a bit of shock to find dried blood over deep scratches. She ran her thumb over the wounds, and they stung slightly just from the touch alone. How he hadn't noticed them this morning was unbelievable-- 

Scratch that, it wasn't unbelievable, he was too busy looking at her naked body underneath him... it made perfect sense now. 

"You started bleeding when I did. It was mutual." She raised a perfect pink brow at him while donning a smart smile. Her eyes narrowed knowingly before her creamy hand came up to caress his cheek. "It's no worse than when we spar, you know I'm not in any danger--" 

"I could kill you." Gaara hissed then, but she didn't seem to be put off by the reaction in the slightest. 

"I implore you to try." Sakura bit her lip before leaning in to steal another kiss, only this time he was determined not to return it. He didn't want her to have this battle, he was still convinced that what had transpired was wrong. 

A sudden grope to his thigh had him startled, and he broke out of her kiss in disbelief. 

"Oh, don't give me that look." The pinkette scoffed before scooting her chair a bit closer to him. "Does it really bother you that I truly enjoyed our time together last night--?" 

"When you had put that blade to your wrist, how did it feel?" 

The second it left his mouth he instantly regretted saying it. Her beautiful lashes blinked rapidly, she was completely blindsided and shocked by his question. He didn't mean to say it the way he did, in fact he didn't even mean to ask that question at all. The redhead looked off to the side in shame over it, he felt so stupid and childish for bringing up something so horrible. 

"Forgive me... there is no need for you to answer such an disgusting question. I don't know why I even asked." Gaara closed his eyes, preparing himself for either a thorough scolding or perhaps even a break up. He couldn't believe how heartless he was for asking her that. 

There was silence, just silence, and then he felt her head rest on his shoulder. She sighed, her hands gripped his coat as if clinging for life; leaving him to wonder if he broke her. 

"I felt completely free... and then when the blood wouldn't stop pouring out I became afraid." She whispered mournfully at first, but then let out a strange laugh. 

"The body doesn't want to die, but the heart begs it too. I wanted death in my mind and heart, but the urge to live is engraved into our flesh. It's why we struggle when we drown, gasping for air even when six feet deep under water. I can't completely bypass that instinct, no matter how hard I try. It is only when I'm nearest to death do I finally find the urge to live." 

Gaara drank in her words, his arms now holding her tight. Even now she was still so sad, he wondered if this sadness had stemmed from long before Sasuke died. He surmised it had. 

"Gaara, what does it feel like to die?" Sakura asked him so innocently, and yet the question almost broke him. 

It was so long ago, but he remembered it so clearly. 

"I was alone, I kept looking down to see my body only to no longer recognize it. I was lost, and yet I searched for nothing." He murmured, and when he felt her push back he gladly let her slip from his fingers. "Nowhere to go, nothing left to do, I just stood there in the vastness of light. I was... frighteningly alone... alone with my worst memories..." 

The redhead jolted slightly as he felt her hands on his cheeks, her eyes looked into his own with longing, but this time he leaned in to kiss her. It had been a long time since then, and he had many new and loving memories. Memories of his siblings, of Naruto, Shinki, and of her. He could die happy now, and probably go to a place that was better for him. All because they existed, and brought him such great happiness. 

"I'm sorry..." Sakura murmured against his lips, but he didn't care anymore. All that mattered was that she was here, and that she was happy. 

"Don't be, you bring me great joy." Gaara gave her one last peck before pulling away with a smile. "Do you understand why I don't approve of hurting you?" 

"Yes, but do you understand why I think that's stupid, and you should trust me?" The pinkette huffed back with a pout, leaving the redhead to wither and sigh. 

"If you want rough sex all you have to do is ask--" 

"I'm not asking for just 'rough sex' I'm asking for you to completely succumb to your deepest and darkest desires, and project them onto me." Sakura gave him an ear to ear grin, and while he was adverse to it he couldn't help but blush over the thought. 

"Deepest, and darkest desires..." The redhead stated it aloud while he leaned back in his chair. He took a sip of his tea, and then placed it back down on the desk. "I'm not sure what those would be--" 

"Well you enjoyed the sadism last night, although you denying it today is making this very difficult." The pinkette rolled her eyes, and slumped in her chair. "I suppose we could try roleplay or something--" 

"Can't we just have... normal sex?" Gaara pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration while she gawked at him. 

"I can't even believe you! You're a man, and you're not wanting a colorful sex life?" Sakura scoffed then, and stood up to brush any dust off her pants. "Huh, no sexy revealing costumes for you then. I'll just keep it straight vanilla if thats the case--" 

"Now hold on a second." The redhead straightened in his chair, his ears perking up at the mention of sexy outfits. "You never said anything about costumes." 

"What do you think role-playing is? Shakespeare in the park?" The pinkette laughed genuinely then, but started to walk away. "No role play means no 'Sexy Nurse Sakura', no kitty ears and tails, no pigtails and pleated skirts, no glasses and revealing blouses, no skimpy little harem numbers either--" 

The closer she got to the door the more he felt his blood pressure rise. Without thinking he pushed himself out of his chair to chase her down, and before she could open the door he slammed his palm against it to hold it shut. She turned her head curiously at him, sizing up his distress with a smug grin. 

"Change your mind?" Sakura turned to fully face him, looking up at him teasingly through her gorgeous lashes. "Which one was the selling point?" 

"Cat ears." Gaara nodded quickly, and watched as she snorted into a full bodied laugh. 

"Oh god, you're one of 'those' types." The pinkette laughed hysterically, and she was so beautiful that he just couldn't help himself. 

The redhead pulled her against him, clinging to her frame as he gave her a passionate kiss. She hummed, instantly melting in his arms. 

Gaara wanted them to stay like this, and was hesitant about bringing up the call he had with Naruto earlier. He decided he would wait until after work to talk it over with her. 

He just needed her to stay a little bit longer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Gaara is trying to drag out having to return his new favorite person. Poor guy, I wonder what he'll do next? 😏


End file.
